|
Terrence S. Robinson, Strategic Implementation Officer at CTAG said the purpose of the
symposium was to gather information and devise a strategic plan
to improve graduation rates in CMSD.
Male
African-American and Latino students drop out of high school
more than any other student group, and Robinson said
understanding their needs and concerns is important.“We wanted
to hear the voices of the male Hispanic students, to understand
what they see and experience,” said Robinson.
CTAG will
compile a report and action-plan involving parents, students,
community agencies, and school administrators and teachers;
“This has to be a collaborative effort,” he said.
Speaking to
parents, school administrators, and community partners at
Lincoln West High School, Noguera highlighted the
responsibilities of each group and stressed communication
between teachers and parents.
“Parents are
resources and need to be engaged,” he said. Parents are busy;
their absence at meetings should not be a reason to conclude
they do not care about their child’s education. Instead, Noguera
encourages schools to consider providing parents with advice and
tools to reinforce lessons at home, access to transportation to
and from PTA meetings, and food or hosting a potluck to build
community togetherness. For parents to become engaged and
involved it is critical that meetings provide valuable
information and actionable instructions. Hosting these meetings
on weekends encourages better attendance.
He said
schools drastically improve when parents get involved because
they demand higher standards and hold them accountable. “Trust
has to be earned,” and schools can achieve that by creating
clear and concise expectations for parents and asserting the
same goal, providing students with quality education.
He said often
problems occur when parents project their own negative
experiences on to teachers, are intimidated by them, or don’t
question them because as professionals they should know better.
“Teachers receive no training on how to talk to parents; it’s
not part of their curriculum,” he said.
This hinders
parent/teacher relationships, and has an increasingly adverse
affect on immigrant parents who have different expectations from
professionals and often differ to their decisions.
“Sometimes
that is OK,” said Noguera, but added, bias often hinders growth
too; as in the case of his brother who was placed in a special
education class based on the assumption he did not speak
English. His father intervened and challenged the school’s
decision—“that brother later went on to study at Harvard.”
Noguera said
it is the schools’ responsibility to train teachers and
encourage them to speak plainly, use resources such as
translators—“Never let the child be the translator.” He does
encourage student participation in parent/teacher meetings to
avoid confusion and excuses.
Churches and
community organizations are also an asset that schools must
reach out to and involve. Mentoring, tutoring, bilingual
training and programs for parents complement the student’s
efforts at school. He suggested recruiting retired teachers and
other senior citizens to help mentor students at risk.
Amanda
Rodríguez, principal at Clark K-8 School found Noguera’s presentation useful and
said schools need to pay closer attention to parents’ concerns.
As a school with over 40 percent Latino population she said they
provide translation services.
She said the
most immediate change she can convey to her teachers is making
sure their meetings with parents provide value. She said the
school recently received $100,000 from Target and the Ellen
DeGeneres Show and plans to update its technology. Students
are taken on field trips to colleges to begin thinking of their
higher education, and Rodríguez said the money will help
students visit universities out of the city to expose them to
possibilities beyond the city.
For more
information on CTAG or to get involved contact 216.574.8059 or
visit www.cmsdnet.net
|
