school in which the principal was going over test scores , suspension rates and attendance for the students by race . After some probing , he admitted that racism had been identified as the biggest reason for the variances in results . This is when I decided to get others on board and begin to advocate for change .
Q : What do you “ give up ” to do the amount of parent leadership work that you do ? Please share why that sacrifice is so important .
A : The biggest thing I gave up was the perception that the school was going to do their best to give my child the education I thought all students in “ Progressive City ” were receiving . I lost my comfort zone . I realized that if I didn ’ t do something , even if my kids were OK and meeting my expectations , how could I be satisfied knowing that their peers who looked like them were not ? That ’ s when I started finding out how the “ Progressive Unified School District ” system worked and what I could do with the collective power of the parent voice .
I gave up a lot of time to volunteer and endured lots of frustrating moments , since the speed of change is so slow , politics are so great , and the red tape is so thick . But as I see some of the improvements we ’ ve advocated for have been implemented , I can say it has been worth it .
Q : One more question : What do you see as your biggest obstacles to family engagement / parent empowerment work , as an African American parent ?
A : The biggest obstacle is the turnover with the parents ’ ability to offer all the volunteer support that is needed . As life happens to people ( e . g . parents get sick , work requires travel / longer hours , families are involved in other activities such as sports / church groups , etc .) it ’ s hard to keep a constant flow of hands in this work .
In addition , you have parents leaving as students graduate and others are entering . It takes time to bring people up to speed to continue the work . Next thing you know , it ’ s winter break , then spring break , then graduation season .
So again , life happens , which is a big challenge with families trying to balance the needs of their own home and the needs
BLACK PARENT CONCERN
Physical environment of school lacks authentic cultural relevance .
Lack of communication ; generally only contacted when there is something “ wrong ” or failing is already happening .
Poor communication – last minute , wrong “ avenue .”
Lack of respect / stereotyping families ( uneducated , low-income , dysfunctional ).
Not willing to address or accept cultural / ethnic differences .
Lack of adequate resources for intentional , specified support ( i . e ., what if my Black child is not EL or SPED or low-achiever ).
Lack of value for input / lack of inclusion ( decision already made , just called in for you to tell it to me instead of including me ).
Lack of clear guidelines set by school , plus the school and / or teachers ’ actions not aligned with guidelines .
Time of activities / events while parents are working .
Time management / efficiency ( time gets wasted ).
Students at too many different schools due to policies rather than convenience .
Transparency not reciprocated by educator .
Lack of school accountability ( mistakes happen , so own them and let ’ s move on ).
EDUCATOR REFLECTIVE SOLUTION
Do away with kente-cloth board trim ; have realistic posters of African American students being successful and academic . Do not have them on the “ Don ’ t Be Late to Class ” poster .
Parents are relational . Be intentional about reaching out to Black parents early , before there ’ s a true issue ; make a positive first-contact .
Improve frequency and relevancy of communication
Check any possible personal bias , and view Black families outside of stereotypical media conditioning .
Value the cultural difference of the Black experience in this country .
Reflect on targeted support for EL and SPED students ; African American data is often just as abysmal , so that group needs targeted support too .
Be inclusive with Black families when making decisions about their children ; don ’ t assume they do not care .
Follow and uphold the school guidelines for teachers / staff in interactions with students and families .
Consider doing a morning meeting and an evening meeting .
Put yourself in the parents ’ place and ask , “ Is this time well structured ?”
Look at school attendance policies for siblings . If a parent has several children at different schools , additional support may be needed .
Be as honest and open as you want the parent to be .
Don ’ t pretend to be perfect or without fault in a situation ; own it and apologize , making every effort to not repeat the mistake .
November | December 2017 17