Activism
ACORN: tutoring program not working
New leadership for Home & School Council
Parents’ ‘Right to Know’ focus of EPOP campaign
Students fight for library improvements
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Activism around the city
ACORN: tutoring program not working
When ACORN staff heard about “Classrooms Plus,” a state-administered program that gives grants to parents of academically struggling children to purchase after-school tutoring help, they began to organize to tell parents about the program.
But according to Deborah Russell-Brown, coordinator of ACORN’s education campaign, staff quickly discovered a serious obstacle. Parents had to pay for the tutoring out of pocket – up to $500 – before they could be reimbursed.
“None of our low income moms and dads can afford to pay first,” explained Russell-Brown.
Looking for a solution, ACORN first encouraged tutoring providers to invoice parents and wait for payment until the state provided reimbursement, but received a less than enthusiastic response from providers.
Deciding to seek changes from the state, ACORN leader Robert Prichett led a group of about 30 protesters to Governor Schweiker’s Center City headquarters on July 16. Amidst security officers called to the office, ACORN members successfully secured a commitment to a meeting with the government official responsible for Classrooms Plus. On July 19, they met with Thomas Carey in the state Office of Elementary and Secondary Education who agreed to work with ACORN to make changes.
On July 24, Florence Mason, an ACORN leader and parent of six children in the District, testified before the School Reform Commission and newly appointed CEO Paul Vallas about her personal difficulties accessing the help Classroom Plus was supposed to offer her children because of the requirement to pay before being reimbursed.
Vallas offered Mason reassurances that the District was exploring whether to become a tutor provider, which would ensure that parents get tutoring without paying first, and later gave ACORN a verbal pledge that the District will be a provider.
ACORN representatives have met with the staff responsible for marketing the program statewide to discuss ways to let more Philadelphia parents know about the program.
Contact ACORN at (215) 765-0042
- Barbara A. Bloom
New leadership for Home & School Council
The Philadelphia Home and School Council, the citywide umbrella organization for the 163 official Home and School Associations in Philadelphia’s schools, has elected new officers.
In July, Patricia Raymond was installed as President, along with Vice Presidents Wendell Harris, Rose Lentz, Michelle Wells Lockett, and Shelton Lorick, Secretary Deborah Morrison, and Treasurer Kirk Yaghlijan.
Calling this year “a new beginning” for the Home and School Council, Raymond outlined plans to meet a long-time goal of having a Home and School Association formed in every school, to develop a network of parent advocates for special education in schools, and to monitor the impact of the new code of student conduct, especially with regard to “zero tolerance” rules.
Raymond says that the Home and School Council, which is independent from the District, will also serve as a watchdog for the recent reforms and will “make sure that parents know their rights and exercise their rights.”
Contact the Home and School Council at (215) 299-7211.
Parents’ ‘Right to Know’ focus of EPOP campaign
The Eastern Pennsylvania Organizing Project (EPOP) has launched a citywide “Right to Know” campaign, focusing on parents’ right to know information about their schools and their children’s academic performance.
The campaign was developed out of a citywide EPOP survey of 1,000 parents and 350 teachers. The survey showed clear concerns among teachers and parents across Philadelphia about poor communication between schools and families.
“Information is key in creating a powerful teaching and learning partnership,” said EPOP leader Delores Shaw. “All parents are able to participate in their children’s education, but we need to level the playing field by getting information out to parents so we can all participate and make informed decisions.”
Information that EPOP believes a parent should have the right to know about their children’s performance includes: classroom learning expectations sent home regularly; risk-of-failure notices sent home halfway through the grading period; and test scores given to parents in a way that helps parents know how best to work with their children.
EPOP members are also requesting that information be available about individual schools and classrooms such as teacher certification information, absentee rates, complete school budgets, and the School Safety Plan. Additionally, they are asking to know whether teachers in their schools have meaningful input in their professional development.
EPOP is planning a public action in support of the “Right to Know” campaign at Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church (2319 Fitzwater St.) on Sunday, September 29 at 7 pm with invited guests CEO Paul Vallas and members of the School Reform Commission.
Contact EPOP at (215) 634-8922.
Students fight for library improvements
Due to the efforts of student members of Youth United for Change (YUC), Olney and Strawberry Mansion High Schools began the school year with certified librarians and libraries that are accessible to students more hours of the day. They also garnered some resources for redecorating the Strawberry Mansion library to make it more student-friendly.
For over a year, YUC students have been calling for the National Library Power Program to be implemented in their schools. The program puts the library at the center of instruction, making it more inviting for students and a resource for students and teachers.
Leonard Bryant, an Olney eleventh grader, reported on the need for changes in their library at the end of last school year, “Our library is in a dark and dreary place. Students don’t really want to go in there, and it’s often closed. How are we supposed to be prepared for college if we don’t know how to use a library and do research?”
At an assembly at Olney in June, YUC members presented student survey results showing students’ desire to have a more accessible and student-friendly library to Principal Ed Monastra and Crystal Patterson, lead coach for library services for the School District.
In response to their research and demands, Monastra committed to keep the library open at all times and to make the library the center of instruction in the coming year. Patterson promised to help get more grant money for the library.
In August, YUC students from Strawberry Mansion continued the fight for better libraries by taking their concerns to the School Reform Commission and CEO Paul Vallas.
Tenth grader James Thompson testified about the school’s need for more relevant books and a certified librarian and asked for the SRC’s and Vallas’s help in securing more funding for the library.
Vallas assured students that the restoration and modernization of libraries was a “top priority.” After the meeting, he told the students that he would get them the $2,000 they were requesting to purchase additional supplies and books for Mansion’s library.
The students received the check for $2,000 and are planning to begin decorating and working with the Library Power program to get new materials and books.
Thompson says that the students’ fight for libraries is far from over. “This is a milestone, but we still have a lot of work to do,” he commented.
Contact Youth United for Change at (215) 423-9588.