El Diario Op-Ed: When Parents Get Involved, Kids Succeed

When Parents Get Involved, Kids Succeed
By Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray

Yesterday was our son Dante’s first day of high school. And though it probably embarrassed him, we decided to bring him to school together. Fortunately for Dante, he wasn’t the only student at his high school with proud parents. And across the city, thousands of parents did exactly the same thing—walking, driving or taking the subway with their son or daughter to start the school year off right. Staying involved in our kids’ education isn’t easy, but their success in school depends on us making that extra effort not just on the first day of school, but all year round.

Unfortunately, the Department of Education too often fails to treat parents like true partners in educating students. And years of tuning out parent voices has left many to give up in frustration. Look no further than the Community Education Councils—the people parents elect to represent them in school decisions—to see how much more work we have to do to meaningfully involve parents. In 2010, 25,000 parents voted in the CEC elections. This year, fewer than 3,000 parents voted—roughly two parents from each of our 1,600 schools.

We need Mayor Bloomberg and his Department of Education to take a new and better approach when it comes to engaging parents. That means conducting meaningful outreach before big decisions like when schools close or share space with one another and working with parents to turn around troubled schools. Parents need to step up as well. The school system doesn’t make it easy, so that means we have to work that much harder to make our voices heard and fight for our kids. At the start of this school year, we are asking the parents of New York City’s one million school children to make a few simple steps:

1.) Join your PTA and encourage fellow parents to do the same. An active Parent Teacher Association with parents who are involved creates real accountability. And their fundraising helps keeps school staff and programming in place that would otherwise fall victim to budget cuts from City Hall.

2.) Volunteer at a school-sponsored event. Schools are communities. By chaperoning a field trip, helping out in the classroom, or tutoring after school, you not only provide a needed service to the school—you strengthen your school community.

3.) Introduce yourself to the school’s parent coordinator. Parent coordinators are the link between parents and the school administration. Making sure they know your face and making sure you know how to reach them about your concerns will give you a valuable ally on the inside.

4.) Attend a Community Education Council meeting. CEC meetings are the venue for parents from schools across a community to come together. Whether it’s budget issues, school zoning or sharing community spaces for school programs, bringing your voice to the CEC ensures your child’s school is represented. As we fight to give these councils a bigger say on school decisions, we need parents to play a more active role in them.

These first few days of the school year are filled with promise. As parents, let’s all pledge to do everything we can to be more involved than ever before. Together, we can make a real difference in our kids’ education. Sign up to get more involved this year, click here.

> Click here for the full Op-Ed and accompanying article in Spanish