CACSAS Meeting, Phoenix Academy

May 17, 2011

6-8 pm

Present:  Wayne Blair, Natasha Bowen, Mary Bushnell, Lorie Clark, Barbara Jesse Black, Bonita Joyce, Laverne Mattocks, Greg McElveen, Graig Meyer, Tina Moore, Neil Pedersen, Terri Robinson, Lalanii Sangode, Eleanor Seaton, Annetta Streater

Attendees were welcomed by Dr. Pedersen.  The meeting began with a delicious BBQ dinner catered by E B’s Restaurant and Catering.

The first order of business was a report given by Bonita Joyce about her attendance at a recent MSAN Parent Engagement Conference.  She described several workshops she attended concerning:

• the importance of parent engagement for increasing student achievement and improving the cultural awareness of school staff
• the benefits that can result from teachers having real knowledge of their students’ lives outside of school  
• the advantages of having district-wide parent groups for sharing ideas and leadership responsibilities across and between districts, including greater parent solidarity and pride in the community

There was some discussion about the pros and cons of having designated central office staff positions responsible for culturally relevant instruction vs. holding all staff persons responsible for maintaining this focus.

Next followed a discussion of creating a “Parent University” in the district.  Rodney Trice had heard about this idea at Harvard last summer and brought it to the group for consideration.  Tina Moore and Natasha Bowen presented a list created by the Family Specialists across the district outlining:

• workshop ideas that are known to be successful with parents
• additional topics to perhaps try
• program components that “have worked” [food, childcare, transportation, interpretation/translation]  

Other elements discussed included:

• It may not be necessary to create extensive new offerings, but rather to advertise and coordinate the many workshops already presented at individual schools and encourage other parents across the district to attend.  
• A brand/logo and attractive marketing will be important
• as well as a clearly planned, quality curriculum.  
• Would parents be more invested if a fee were charged? [perhaps not at first].  
• Incentives will be important so that parents can see the benefits that will result.  (maybe placement in summer programs, a capstone event in celebration; coupons or gift cards;  Lalanii suggested getting community college credit.)
• Expecting people to attend 3-5 offerings in a year would be the anticipated commitment.  
• Tying the course offerings to the Pathway to Success would also be advantageous.
• Wayne wanted to be sure that some sessions addressed how to increase academic success [truly high expectations;  explicit study habit suggestions]
• Perhaps the parents who have received computers from Renny Johnson’s program would be a good cohort to start with.
• It would be great to preview both the Pathway and a Parent University program at “back to school” nights this fall.
• Graig will get a group together to work on this over the summer.

Board member Annetta Streater pointed out that while we want parents to increase their knowledge and understanding so that they can support their children’s success in school, it will be crucial to also assure parents that the district is working to improve every teacher’s commitment to pursue and actively encourage each student’s success. 

Unless students can perceive that their teachers have a genuine belief in their ability to succeed, it is difficult for them to believe in themselves.  

Ensuring that teachers contact parents when students are failing is another basic element for improving trust in the community.

Board member Greg McElveen added that the district must help teachers do the above by exposing them to and encouraging them to use practices that have been demonstrated to improve student achievement.  Much teacher frustration is a result of working very hard but not necessarily using the most effective strategies.

The group made suggested edits on the draft of the hard copy Pathway:  bigger, darker font;  emphasize the grade levels for each step so parents can readily see which step is currently relevant for them;  be sure to include Resources for parents in the hard copy since these are by definition families that cannot readily explore resources on the internet.

Finally, the group emphasized a hope that Equity for all students will remain a strong emphasis under the new superintendent and suggested tangible Equity goals for every school to achieve during the next school year.  The Board members present assured the group that these issues will remain a top priority for the district.  

The committee thanked Dr. Pedersen for his long-standing efforts in this arena.

Respectfully submitted, Mary Bushnell