So How Do You Measure Your Child’s Success as a Parent?

As my family enters the “tween” and teenage years, this is getting harder and harder to define as a parent.

I want my children to be polite, respect their elders but have resiliency and their own minds for forming an intelligent perspective.  Straight A’s in school is good, but it’s not really the end goal.  I want my children to be good citizens, charitable of heart and strong in soul.  Yet I know that they will have their struggles and for me as a parent I know that is a good thing … but hard to witness.

As a mom, I often want to jump in and fix things but that’s not my job.  My “job” is to assist my children in finding their own path, their own passions.  To be the best, overall, balanced person that they can be.  As my husband likes to say, everybody needs a good, strong “wing-man”. 

I celebrate their successes and acknowledge their failures.  In school, children are told they learn more from their mistakes than the easy successes.  Easier said than done as a parent.  (Maybe that’s why we have too many people in society today, who are famous for just being famous!)  I’d rather my children be able to recite the names of the 9 Supreme Court Justices than the Kardashian sisters!  And it takes us as parent to guide the way… and set the example.

So, on a day-to-day basis how do I do that?  For one, pay attentions to the overall school system as a way of building a strong supportive community around them that sets realistic but challenging expectations.  Not just the teacher interaction from year to year but the whole system from top to bottom.  I care about the good teachers, informative test results, strong principals, and visionary superintendents.  But I also care about the active recesses, clean restrooms, healthy lunches, helpful administrators and fair & balanced budgets.

But I am just one parent looking out for my own children.  What can I do? Or any other parent or guardian?

• Educate yourself and your adult “circle of influence” about the issues of the upcoming BSD Operating Referendum and the current efforts of Race-to-the-Top now that we are into Year 2
• VOTE on your opinion of the Referendum when in comes up in March 2012
• If you haven’t already done it, join your local PTA … or if you are just a concerned adult about education you can join on the State level of PTA (de_office@pta.org)
• Donate an extra $5 to the spring book fairs at the local elementary school (That’s less than a week’s worth of coffee.)
• Support the S.T.E.A.M. program(s) throughout BSD.  (Whether music, drama, arts, Lego League, Math League, Odyssey of the Mind or a vibrant chess club, all of these S.T.E.A.M. avenues are important for young, thriving minds.)

We are the adults, looking out for the vibrant youth of today!  ACT ON IT!

Side Note:  Congrats to Elaine Osman, the whole team at Lancashire PTA, Principal Gladfelter and the “real charitable housewives of Delaware” for their quick response and wonderful example of the power of parents and the PTA network in responding to the recent fires at Ballymeade neighborhood.  We can all learn more from their efforts in the New Year.

How was your first half of the school year?

It is so hard to believe as we head into the holidays that the current school year is almost half way over.  It just seems like yesterday that we were buying school supplies and worrying about the teacher(s) our children would be having for the coming school year. 

And a good teacher vs a bad teacher in the classroom can make a HUGE impact on a child's progress for many years to come -- both good and bad.  Think back to your favorite teacher.  It's probably been years but you can still see their face, remember their name and how they made you feel -- wanting to do your best and having someone believe in your potential.  In many mentoring books and biographies about famous people, many mention that special teacher in their lives who helped them find their pathway of today.  Don't our children in the BSD deserve that as well.  Each and every one of them.  Do you feel like your family has received that level of service and professionalism as the first half of the year comes to a close?

Please share your stories and feelings about your child's teacher -- but no actual names.  You can give a school or grade level, but I'm looking for the characteristics and the actions that good and bad teachers are known for in order for us as parents to learn from each other.

Motivating Parent Involvement

Are you motivated as a parent to be involved at your child’s school? Or is it just about fundraising? And test results/report cards? Maybe you attended the Open House at the start of the year or maybe that first PTA meeting. Concerts are coming up, so if your child is active in chorus or band, you’ll probably show up around this time of the year as well.  But in this day and age, with everything that children need to learn in school today and the focus on educational reform, especially here in Delaware, is showing up at your child’s school once or twice within the school year effective?

Researchers have found three key factors that affect whether parents are motivated to become involved in their children’s learning:

1.   How parents develop their job descriptions as parents: Do they know what the school expects them to do? What do their friends and family think is acceptable?

2.   How confident they feel about their ability to help their children: Do they feel they have the knowledge and skills to make a difference?

3.   Whether they feel invited, both by their children and the school: Do they get strong, positive signals from teachers and students that they should be involved?

Kathleen V. Hoover-Dempsey, Joan M.T.Walker, and Howard M. Sandler, “Parents’ Motivations for Involvement in Their Children’s Education,” in School-Family Partnerships for Children’s Success, ed. Evanthia N. Patrikakou and others

(New York: Teachers College Press, 2005).

The research questions above are interesting for the public school system to tackle.  And yes, each school is different but as a district as a whole, I believe there should be some commonality so that I, as a parent, can be effective and informed as my child works their way through the 12 grades – each and every year and at each and every school, regardless of which school my children attend.

Here are my responses to the questions proposed above – what are yours?

1.)   I do not know what my school expects from me as a parent – especially at the middle school level.  High school we’ll have to wait and see.  I don’t see my children’s friends’ parents actively involved unless we’re volunteering for a once-a-year chaperone event.  We all go to award ceremonies and concerts when they come up. I’m not sure if that is all my middle school expects; that seems to be all they are asking for.  At the elementary level, it seems to be all about fundraising – attention, I hate Chuck E Cheese night outs! And the fundraising might be school lead, PTA and/or teachers.  It might be for a charity, like leukemia, or for school programs, like PBS (Positive Behavior System), or just fundraising in general.  There has to be more to family engagement than just fundraising!

2.)   I do feel my knowledge and skills can make a difference; however I’m not sure where they are the most effective – in the classroom, organizing an event, attending district meetings?  I do not see a mass of parents standing up for the betterment of the schools or pushing for a specific cause within the system.  Ever once in a while, I’ll hear about a recess effort or a transportation concern, but I’m not sure what the end result was as energies seem to fizzle out. I hear about it once or twice and then that’s it. At least a few are advocates for just their child, so may be vicariously, they’ll improve the whole system – but that hasn’t really been effective as we’re counting on all of this RttT money to make a magical difference without aggressively engaging all parents.  Parents seem to still be sitting on the side lines without holding our administrators accountable.

3.)  At the middle school level, my child is too cool to listen to me, their parent.  Thus, I need the school and teachers to give me even more invites to be involved, in specific ways and more information as to the “life of a middle schooler in the classroom”. And I just don’t see that happening on a consistent basis.  PTA meetings are poorly attended, email communication is when the teacher needs it, and the phone alerts seem random at best.  I don’t want to feel like the only way to be engaged is to enter the building week after week.  (Then you have to get past the front desk issues.)  With so much technology around us, I expect us to do better as adults at staying informed.  But in reality, it comes down to the relevance of the message and connecting with your audience.

How connected do you feel as a parent to the overall environment of your child’s school?  Let me hear your thoughts on the three questions proposed above.

Leadership in Education – RttT focus

Under RttT, a lot of money and effort is focused on leadership.  You may have read about it mostly in the NewsJournal coverage when they review the Partnership Zones, the Vision 2015 conference and/or some of the other Partners like Vision Network.  All of these are high profile entities, schools trying to find strong leadership, and/or the worst of bad scenario’s in our state which draw a lot of the attention and potentially overshadow all other efforts and/or challenges.  Are we just trying to get the worst schools out of a deep hole?  Where are the leaders in our state who are setting a higher bar than before – not just trying to keep pace?

As parents in the BSD, what do you expect from our educational leadership and more specifically, your child’s school principal?  When you were growing up and attending school, this role probably looked very different as the demands today are numerous.

But here is what I expect of a principal as a parent:

o       Friendly Leadership

o       Responsible Delegator

o       Knowledgeable Politician

o       Effective Administrator

Yet, I’m not sure if that is the direction I am witnessing as a parent.  Some days it is hard to measure.  In the local media, there are examples of recruitment of younger leaders, principals who are more and more responsible for monitoring and evaluating teachers in the classrooms, and/or talks about all of the administrative functions and accountability of principals to meet the “Standards” of today.  And let’s not forget about “disciplinarian” and “policeman” functions of principals when things go wrong anywhere in the building and on the grounds.

I’m not sure yet if I have a “vision” for the ideal principal or what I think one should look like in about 10 years time.  But I do hope that they evolve from what they are today – as some days, I’m expecting more than I am getting.  Is that just me as one parent in the mix or are there other parents in our district looking for more as well? 

Please let me hear your thoughts on the topic.

What happened to the “thanks” in Thanksgiving?

I understand that the economy is hurting – we all feel it and have to acknowledge it in one way or another in our daily lives.  But this year the retail “push” to move the economy back up with a rush to the Christmas shopping craze just seems like too much!!  My kids’ HALLOWEEN costumes were barely off their backs before the stores were putting up the holiday lights, wreaths and plastic bulbs! The Christmas season hasn’t even started yet and I’m almost tired of the hype.

How can we take back Thanksgiving and enjoy that 4-day long weekend with a pause to reflect on all of the people and things in our lives that are going well? And some days it is hard to see the positive and be grateful for what we do have when we continually run a dialogue on what we don’t have.  And some days I am as guilty as the next person – especially on those gloomy, overcast Mondays.  L  All the more reason why we as parents need to take back Thanksgiving – in any way we can:

• Push employers to reinstate that Friday as a standard holiday – too many of us are either working that day, especially in retail at ridiculous hours, or are using up a vacation day to make sure we aren’t rushing back into the office.  How do we get that Thursday and Friday as mandatory days off across the country? Does it take an act of Congress or each of us on a local level asking employers to be generous with an extra day?
• Take a walk through the neighborhood or the local park with your kids.  Reconnect with them by not even having to say anything, just stroll down the street; comment here or there about what you see.  If you need a destination to make it helpful, I always aim for coffee or hot chocolate as a simple reward.  (Though some weeks I use that “reward” more than I should – I do like my cappuccino.)
• Rake leaves – the old fashion way!  Enjoy the noises and beauty of nature all around you.  The soreness of your arms, the crunch of the leaves, the chill in the air marking the changing season that is coming – you can’t notice those signs when you or your neighbors are constantly running that leaf blower!!!  I hate the noise those things make – it always gives me a headache and is such a noise polluter.  And it is not very social.  When you rake leaves together, everyone has a job and talks.  With a leaf blower, it seems to always be a one-man job all by yourself.

These simple things can help us remember the purpose of Thanksgiving in the first place:  family, friends and the gratitude for the things we do have around the table after a hard year.

Side note: I’ll be watching to see what happens in the coming weeks with the retail figures.  Did we use up all of our budgeted dollars for Christmas at 3 am on Thursday evening and that’s it for the season?  Or will there be a steady stream of purchases for every week leading up to the holiday to demonstrate a real recovery?  It might be a roller coast of emotions and reports as our retail dollars are tracked.  There is always the hope of those last minute shoppers, when the deals come back out again, right before the holidays.  That’s more my pace – I always do well with a deadline no matter how much I plan ahead or try to shop in July.  Yet there is always the guilt of someone I missed or someone on my list who I bought too much for throughout the year.

All the more reason why we need to take back Thanksgiving: a paradigm shift to a more grateful society.  A thank you for kids comes in many forms – a quiet game of “Go Fish” and a hot chocolate are amazing in the way they help us connect, at any age.

How to be an Effective PTA/Parent Leader

The first step in being an effective leader is understanding that PTA is a team. As a president or parent leader, you need to build a team out of your officers and chairpersons. (Officers and chairpersons may also need to build teams out of the committees that work under them.) Having a team atmosphere encourages productivity, keeps the workload more balanced, and leads to happier volunteers.

Just like in sports, a team does not mean that everyone is involved in everything. If the pitcher on a baseball team tried to play pitcher and catcher because he didn’t like how the catcher threw the ball back to him, or if the quarterback on a football team tried to play quarterback and wide receiver because he felt the receiver dropped too many balls, or worse yet, if the coach decided to replace a player and get in the game and play himself ... it wouldn’t be much of a game and the other players would wonder why they were even there in the first place!

Similarly, your PTA should be set up so that your officers and chair people have responsibility for certain things. When delegating responsibility, make sure each team member understands what their roles and responsibilities are. Show them where to find the information they need to perform their duties and provide any deadline or budget considerations they need to know.

If necessary, offer your experiences to help guide them and answer any questions they might have, but don’t make decisions or do the work for them! You have given them a job to do, so let them do it – even if that means it is not done exactly like you would do it yourself! Don’t micro-manage them. Allow them to make self discovery and empower them to take action. This builds your leaders of tomorrow and ensures the long-term success of your PTA!

• Understand there will be glitches along the way. Be supportive and be there to offer encouragement or advice, but don’t take over for them! Allow your team members to work through any difficulties in their own way. Just like we tell our children, people often learn more from their mistakes than they do from their successes.
• Keep the team informed. Each team member has an obligation to keep the team as a whole informed of the actions they have undertaken. This does not mean reporting in every time you do something; however, officers and chairpersons should be prepared to report on the status of the things they are responsible for at each board meeting. Reports may be submitted in writing in the event someone is unable to attend a particular meeting.
• Lastly, model appropriate behavior for your team – patience, respectfulness, reliability. Don’t gossip or project negativity as that will rub off on everyone. Always point out the strengths of the team and the individuals who are a part of it. Provide lots of praise and recognition. A “Thank you. You did a great job,” goes a long way. When team members are given the flexibility to fulfill their respective roles in their own, individual ways, the benefits are tremendous, not only for the PTA as a unit, but for the school and all of the students as well.

The wheel has been created – USE IT!

So I attended the State PTA Convention over the weekend along with some training from a National PTA representative.  My feelings are mixed…

On the positive side, it was great to see a “changing of the guard” in that many of my fellow Board members are new to their positions like me.  It is motivating that new energy and new perspectives are coming to the state scene and back to the districts.  It is also amazing to realize that we have 100 years of experience and resources backing our efforts with state and national tools to utilize.  I have other Region VPs that I can call upon to help me, not to mention the communication, finance & membership experts at the state level and also a network of other units across the nation as positive examples!! All this energy to bring to our local BSD members!

On the other side, attendance was not what I would have hoped for at a 100 year celebration and my first state convention.  It shows that we have to re-invigorate and re-dedicate our efforts as parents and our commitment to PTA – especially in this decade as so many things are happening in public education.  (Did you know that the PTA is behind the fact that we have Kindergarten today and that there are federally funded lunch programs – items we might take for granted today are all because of past PTA efforts.) 

We need parents to be involved and stay informed -- the data shows parents make the difference.  Motivated parents are a tipping point to children’s success. 

And so many groups are trying to “re-create the wheel” by pulling together parent resources – i.e. Parent Engagement teams at each school, Parent Advisory Councils, the Parent Center Resources, Parent Learning Link, Partnership Zones, even RttT plans across the state target parent involvement, etc.  Yet when you look at their core efforts, they seem to be trying to recreate the PTA. 

• With over 5 million PTA members today, it’s hard to replicate their current and historical efforts.  So why not re-commit to the PTA? USE IT to improve our schools and their services! They already have the resources developed and ready to be unleashed.
• PTA has so many programs, initiatives and resources – from a variety of training, legislative monitoring to supporting arts in the schools and curriculum focus.  A network of help and organized effort is so close and ready today to be used.  (And the cost to join is a simple membership due equivalent to an expensive cup of coffee?!!)
• With the Common Core State Standards grant here in DE, the PTA is here to re-invigorate the advocacy part of parent education. They have presentations, training tools, pamphlets, DVDs, etc. to help inform parents now.

Let PTA bring these efforts to your next local meeting and group to share, inform, educate and motivate our parents. CCSS and PTA will help all of us to “walk the talk” together and support ALL children to reach their full potential.

I’m ready whenever you are – join me to celebrate and kick off the next 100 years of PTA in our state and our district.   Imagine what BSD could do with strong, committed PTAs at every one of our schools!

BSD 2012 Operating Referendum – PARENT EDUCATION

Thank you to Lancashire PTA for allowing me the chance to speak about the upcoming BSD Operating Referendum and my observations and background knowledge as a parent on the topic. It is a LOT OF INFORMATION that parents must digest in order to understand future actions needed.  I believe we need to start educating ourselves now so that, as parents, we can understand these pending events that can impact our kids for years to come.  If we are passionate about something that’s happening in our district we need to raise our voices sooner rather than later.  There is strength in numbers!!

Here are 2 interests that came out of that presentation that I am looking for parent action by responding to this blog posting.

1.)    Transportation costs and safety of current routes – I am further investigating these costs within the district budget.  I mistakenly indicated that they were an individual school line-item, but they are on the district level and I am inquiring.  I will post my findings on the blog when received.

Similar to my experience, a few other parents after the meeting have voiced concerns about stops along Naamans, the speed of traffic and omission of stops within neighborhoods.  I’d like to begin collecting specific parent names & emails that are interested/concerned about this topic.  Future presentations, attendance at district meetings, offering solutions and just showing our collective parent voice, can help raise the safety concerns we have.

2.)    Testing and Assessments – More parents need to raise their voice if ANY PART of the current assessment is an issue for them.  AND WE NEED TO FIND EACH OTHER AND SPEAK UP.  There is definitely strength in numbers on this topic as well and I need to hear from other parents to share information, outline results and actions coming this year.

I too am very upset with where the state testing is today – DCAS is not what was promised, decisions that DDOE has made have been costly mistakes that are not only impacting our children’s schedules but also the district’s services.  BSD has to bring in MORE TESTING because DCAS is limited and the DDOE needs to be held accountable for bad decisions made.  They know the testing is inadequate but we need to make sure further mis-steps don’t put us further behind and waste more valuable resources.  I’m gathering information from as many different resources as I can – both internal and external to DDOE – and want to share them with those parents who can help and want to organize a consistent voice.

Thank you again to the all of the parents who have been following this blog and also the PTA at Lancashire.  I look forward to continued discussions together. Parents are a powerful force in children’s lives and their educational opportunities when we are engaged together.

BSD Parent Pledge - "MY PLEDGE"

Did you see in the packet of papers from your child's school (OR for those of us with older kids, it's probably in the bottom of the backpack still), the BLUE Sheet of paper marked "My Pledge"? 

• Find this paper
• Read it  
• Sign it
• Get it back to the school

The pledge and list of tasks many parents do, but surprisingly (maybe), many others don't.  This Pledge is the BSD's efforts to connect with parents throughout the district to begin a basic checklist of commitment with ALL PARENTS.  Let's work to get, at the least, 60% returned back to BSD to demonstrate our strong commitment to a simple grassroots effort like this.  It is simple to do, but how many of us actually saw this piece of paper and understood what to do?  And acted upon it?

What do you think of "My Pledge"?  Now that you've found it in the backpack -- Let me hear what you think.

PARENT ADVOCACY. What does that look like in ACTION?

To a lot of us, it is easier said than done; including the local and state administrations. Yet, we all know it’s important for our children’s education for parents to be involved.  So what ACTIONS do we see?

Parent Representation was definitely lacking at the recent Vision 2015 conference as far as speakers and organizers.  Congrats to the parents in the audience, who were first and foremost in the audience, and then secondly, able to get a question addressed by the speakers properly and/or in the work groups to identify parents and/or parent perspectives.  I think there were more questions proposed by parents than were presented.  This demonstrates our need as parents and/or parent organizations to get our voice heard. This event was a clear, measurable action that our parent voice is not part of the organizing and strategic dialogues happening throughout the state when it comes to our children’s education – at best it is only “lip-service”.

In the work group I attended about “World Class Leaders”, I did get an encouraging answer from about half of the panel (i.e. 2 out of 4) and one that just seemed to miss the whole point of the question.  But here is some of the good advice I did get:

• “Make yourself available” both during key events at the schools and in relation to your child’s direct daily life is HUGE -- it is part of “Being there”.
• Pick a topic that you are interested in and feel passionate about; and keep at it!  Don’t let one or two meetings or emails discourage you.
• Look at the ENVIRONMENT within the school buildings as well as the ACADEMICS.  Both contribute equally to the success of our children.
• Don’t invoke anything that would be at the detriment of other children as you advocate for yours.  A workable solution benefits all children within that school setting.
• Expect your principals to provide relevant and timely communication to you as a parent.  At the least, this could be through weekly newsletters, PTA attendance, and phone call blasts, but you should have a general level of communication and also feel free to set a meeting with a principal to discuss matters of importance to you.
• Know what resources are or are not available to your teachers.  The Common Core Standards are being rolled out, electronic tools are being made available within our school environments, and on-going training is always possible. These elements “raise the bar” as to the level of education expected by parents.  Are theses tools all in place for your teachers?

In also thinking about parents, there are so many different types of families, schedules and demands on parents and families today. I tried to break it down into specific, measurable actions that are relatively simple to fulfill the role of parent advocacy.  Each and every one of us can MAKE A RESOLUTION to do at least one of these tasks today.

ALL PARENTS – regardless of your life circumstances:

1.)    Join PTA – if nothing else this is a communications network to receive critical information as it develops in the coming year – on a variety of educational topics (not just sport booster clubs).  This group has been around for 100 years in DE and has some resources behind it – we need to tap into them this year!  (If you still can’t do that for whatever reason, at least become a member of this blog for ongoing updates.)

2.)    Attend an upcoming training event around Common Core Standards to understand where the levels of performance are being benchmarked for the future.  As these standards roll-out, there should be more and more opportunities to be “educated” on the topic(s), take advantage of them.

3.)    Get to know your District Board members – visit the district website and be familiar with the names & faces – at least know when the Board meets.

4.)    IF you are passionate about something your child does in school, inform the BSD referendum work groups. Contact info is on the BSD website, which you can access any time of the day.

5.)    Send an email/ written note to your child’s teacher thanking them for all they do.

6.)    Promise to complete every school or district survey that comes your way throughout the year.  Give honest and detailed information from the parent perspective.

7.)    Find a topic that you’re concerned about and learn all you can about the issues, challenges and successes around that topic.  For example, testing assessment, healthy cafeteria & food options, recess options for healthy kids, teacher evaluations, etc.  Research examples outside of the state via the Internet; ask parents from other schools, districts and states, etc. what examples they have for success.

8.)    Donate books back to the classrooms.  As your child gets older and their reading interests change, give your old books back to the BSD Parent Center for ongoing use that directly impacts our children and young adults.

Parents with flexible schedules:

9.)          Volunteer in the classroom and/or recess & lunch times – it’s just an hour a week or once a month if that’s all you can spare.

10.)      Let your school know if you have an area of “expertise” in which you could possibly make a presentation – like in music or science or art – or a cultural background of interest like Indian culture & sharing a family meal, or learning a second language like Chinese, etc.

11.)      Help with the next membership drive by “manning the table” and asking other parents to join PTA at any event you attend.

12.)      Visit the BSD Parent Center to become familiar with their resources and give input to some of your needs or desires as a parent.

Parents with strict working hours and/or difficult commutes:

13.)      Host a “brown bag” discussion in your place of business with other parent co-workers to learn from each other and together:  Invite other working BSD parents and your DE PTA representative Region 1 (that’s me) to discuss a specific topic.

14.)      Ask your teacher if there is anything you can help with outside of the classroom to assist with the next classroom project – picking up supplies, making or buying a food item or craft items, organizing files, etc.

15.)      Understand which extra clubs or activities support STEM and the Arts in your school environment.  Sponsor another child who may not be able to cover a registration fee for such activities.

16.)      Send an extra $5 into the next Book Fair for another student who may not have the same means.

17.)      Use a vacation day (or two) and chaperone a school trip.  It seems like such a hassle to miss a day of work, but the rewards and insight you get by being with your child and their peers is invaluable.  Plus, you get to remember what it was like to be a kid again too.  (And some days, don’t we all need that.)

Walk the Talk

So I’ve gotten a few blog responses about previous postings – which is great fun!  It means the parent dialogue is slowly starting and we’re “finding each other” as far as areas of interest.  Plus, by sharing information, we’ll learn so much more together in a shorter amount of time.

So here are a few updates:

• PTA Representation: I “challenged” parents to join their PTA and/or local parent group.  In response, I have agreed to be the BSD representative for the DE PTA.  It is my understanding that it perhaps has been YEARS since BSD had a representative at the state PTA.  So now is our chance to gather more resources, get involved in some of the state efforts that are directly impacting our classrooms (i.e. DCAS details, Common Core understanding, etc.) and demonstrate our parent commitment to education throughout our district. Let me know what you’d like to hear from the state level and/or resources our district parents need. I believe in the power and passion of parents for their kids, so let me know how we can work together to set the bar higher.

• RttT BUDGET!!!:  I’ve tracked down some figures – so this will at least give us a starting point for the initial allocation of funding under BSD’s plans for RttT.  In very simple terms, for BSD their RttT funds in Year 1 were allocated to: 
• 60% staffing
• 20% trainings
•   6% supplies & materials
•   7% contracted services
•   7% indirect costs

I am trying to get clarification from the district as to their definition of contracted services and indirect costs, so an update will be coming.

In addition, some very detailed-focused parents also sent me resources to track the grant funding from a state and national perspective in a much more detailed level.  Happy to share in greater circulation if requested, but I’m thinking busy parents only want the “big picture highlights” before going into too much more detail.  Again, let me know if my assumptions are correct.

o        Vision 2015 Conference:  I did attend this Rodel Foundation event yesterday and have mixed feelings as to the content.  The biggest omission to me, once again, was a parent voice.  There were federal, state and panel representatives throughout the day.  Occasionally the parents might be mentioned in a list of stakeholders, but our perspective and opinions were not strongly voiced. And I think we need to change that!  I’ll have a future posting dedicated to more about this event, but the other items that stand out for me the next day are:

§         Parents need to get involved – NOW. 

§         William Budinger, the Founder of the Rodel Foundations, “gets it” as to the profound educational shift our children are facing today compared to previous generations.

§         The advantage of Delaware being a small state that can respond quickly by gathering resources together is equally disadvantaged by the “bubble” of local influence and perspectives that seem to perpetuate itself – if the DE school systems were so great, we wouldn’t need RttT!

§         The educational jargon distorts real results.  I didn’t get a good comfort feeling that things are improving for kids in a positive way, quickly enough.

o        ADVOCACY for our children by their parents has been proven to be the difference that turns around school districts and education.  The administrations, principals and teachers can’t complete this huge endeavor without communities, businesses and most importantly parents being involved.  And it can be simple things that we do together -- better understanding of the building cultures, volunteering for field trips, educating parents as to grade level goals, challenging the results of state tests not being what was promised, etc.  More to come on this in future postings!

Let me hear from you as to your parent perspective on this posting and/or other topics.

Why Don’t Parents Join PTAs Any More?

Parents attend Open House at the beginning of the year; The fall Parent/Teacher Conferences; Winter & Spring Concerts; and various sporting events throughout the year;

…yet when it comes to the one historical organization that is focused on overall education and school environments, the PTA seems to be the last group parents are standing up for these days. 

And don’t get hung up on the name – whether it’s PTA, PTO, a booster group or parent group, the overall attendance and memberships of these organizations seems to be declining.  There are a few strong ones out there, and fundraising always seems to be front and center in discussions at most meetings – yet the advocacy, sharing valuable business information and holding our district and state leaders accountable through these types of groups with strong membership seems to be lacking.  Yet, parents can have the strongest voice in educational discussions.

Is it just the economic times?  No – because volunteering at a school is a great way to support your child’s development, show all children by adults simply being there that education is important and at the same time build your resume between jobs opportunities or investigate different career paths.  Plus, it’s an easy effort that has amazing rewards and insight as to the world of children today.  So you would think that there would be more parents in schools – it’s not happening in the way it should.

Are parents too busy and stressed out to join?  May be but I think No – it’s putting down a little bit of money and adding your name to their membership list.  What YOU DO WITH IT after that, is up to you. You don’t necessarily have to show up all the time for meetings and fundraising requests, But by simply adding your name to a list, you show to the school, the district and our communities that parents are adding their clout and have a network, that if needed, can act.

As children and teens get older,  are parents no longer the primary influence on them?  No – parents and teachers working together, all be it, behind the scenes sometimes, can have a huge impact on a variety of children and young people.  Those they know and those they don’t, by standing up for education, strong community values and working together to solve problems.  At times there is so much emphasis on 0 to 5 yrs of age that the fact that it takes most children 18+ years to reach adulthood seems to fade away.  As a parent, I guide my child’s development until the day I die.  (I know my 92 year old grandmother still has influence over my dad at the age of 65+.)

Is there too much “bickering” in meetings and/or are the personalities too “annoying”?   Some might think that there is some truth in this one, but it is not any different than our working environments.  We all need to get along and to find the strengths in each other and work to the greater good – right, isn’t that what we try to tell our kids a lot of the time.  Yet, when parents have the opportunity to impact change, we don’t want to be bothered? 

Every year, new leaders, new mixes of parents, new classes and new administrative teams are formed in the district and in each school.  Every year is new and fresh.  And every year, new and different parents can lead a parent group, an educational discussion and/or classroom fundraiser.  Those personalities only stay in their positions because we let them. 

I don’t know what’s happened in past years with the “politics” of different PTA groups and frankly I’m looking forward at today’s leaders, their visions, their actions and building a better education system as quickly as possible in very challenging times.  I’ll use whatever resources I can find to improve our educational services for all kids.

So take up my challenge and join your local PTA / Parent group today and get educational advocacy on the forefront.  And it’s not too expensive – memberships run from about $5 to maybe $20 or more depending upon the parents’ focus.  It’s a cup of coffee, change collected for about a week from the car & couch seats and/or whatever comes out of pockets in the laundry.  What does it get you?  A growing voice in our children’s educational life, the ability to find like-minded parents and another way to try to stay informed as to the dynamic school settings across our district.

DCAS Note:  On August 19, 2010, Delaware joined in this state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Offices (CCSSO).  Today only 6 U.S. states have not yet formally adopted these educational goals.

The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy. 

Look for more information from the DE PTA on this topic in the coming months.  Plus, as parents, we need to make sure the DCAS Assessment now aligns with these new standards through the types of questions being asked and the back-end reporting to both teachers and parents for a national perspective.

Key Items on BSD Website this week

So check out a few items on the BSD website:

• District Brochure on “Measure Up” -- in the yellow box on the left.  This was handed out at the Breakfast last week as well.
• Site Shortcuts – top 2 items – 2012 Referendum and the Year 1 RttT Progress Report

The “Measure Up” Brochure – A great marketing piece out to the community leaders to reminder everyone of the many programs within BSD.  As a parent, some of the programs I knew, others I need to educate myself a bit.   I also want to see what’s available to the average student – if my kid is not at the top and not at the bottom, do they potentially “fall through the cracks” and just coast.  What BSD offers that student will demonstrate the overall strength of the district.  (And don’t get me wrong, my kids are taking advantage of some of these programs and opportunities, but as a member of the community, I want to know our district is turning out the best “citizens” that fill our employee ranks and customer service jobs throughout the area as well.)

2012 Referendum – Once on this link, check out the Nav bar on the left.  These listings represent the 5 working groups that are digging into the details of what’s happening in the district and what impacts the referendum will make on overall operations.  These groups are just kicking off, but you can see the representation.  And yes, I am on 2 of the working groups and see a few other parent names as well.

Year 1 RttT Progress Report – Lot of information in this report, not all of it will parents “get” at first glance and not without a lot of discussion.  Sometimes there is too much educational jargon and the “big picture” planning efforts are difficult at this stage to measure back down to a classroom.  And as a project manager by experience, one key item that is missing from this report for me is the BUDGET/MONEY.  (As you’ll learn, I want to see the financial tracking of RttT.  I think it is part of our responsibilities as parents to make our leaders accountable to the fiscal picture as well.  This money was a “once in a lifetime” outlay – Where is it all going??  Is it being used the way it was intended – to change the landscape of education in DE?  Are we getting the results promised?)

DCAS Note:  The DCAS test only has 50 questions per topic; thus the idea is for a child taking the test to take approximately 60-90 minutes, give or take depending upon the child’s comfort level with computers.  40 questions are “on-grade level” and the other 10 are “off-grade level”. 

However, at this point, I’m not sure where the questions originate.  Do the teachers have input to the questions? Do the districts? Or the DDOE ONLY? Or is it the company administering the test, AIR?  I’m still investigating this aspect of DCAS, so more to come on this topic.

BSD "Measures Up" Breakfast

It was a very informative week tracking down information about BSD results.

For today’s posting, let’s talk about the BSD breakfast on Friday morning.  Next time you hear about one of these events MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND.  It was an opportunity to hear from our district leaders and to hear their vision firsthand.  Superintendent Mark Holodick, Director of Elementary Schools Dorrell Green and Director of Secondary Schools Lincoln Hohler spoke about how BSD “Measures Up”.  Three polished and articulate speakers – they did better than some CEO’s I’ve heard in the area – plus you can hear that they are committed to their educational causes and approaching their efforts in a professional manner. 

So I didn’t “drink the kool aid” entirely.  I understand that this was a marketing campaign to entice community leaders and brag about everything that is happening in BSD.  But the fact that they have a VISION that speaks to the mission we all see posted on the stationary and in the offices of many of the schools – “EMBRACE, INSPIRE AND CHALLENGE EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY” – shows that there is a strategic level of commitment to BSD and ALL of our kids.  Moving any public education system into the top rankings of the 21^st century is going to take a considerable amount of effort.

Now as parents we need to match their efforts – by educating ourselves and staying involved in the process.  Here’s what stood out for me:

• Professionalism and customer service are keys to meeting the expectations of parents – they get that this is critical for any “business” in being successful and deemed competent to meet goals.
• That they have goals and a vision that the Executive Team can articulate that matches my hopes as a parent for my kids, gives me some comfort. 
• Some of the issues you hear about with other school districts and their implementation of RttT definitely concerned me as to the potential of BSD.  As a parent, I’m feeling a bit more reassured at the district level.  I now need to be able to measure that at my local school(s) and from all services providers in contact with my kids – from secretaries to bus aides to teachers to principals.  Some times I see it – but other times may be not….
• Great marketing effort.  Clear and consistent voice of the vision.  Hearing all the great things that are happening in various corners of the district makes me as a parent optimistic that my kid(s) have a chance at learning some great stuff. 
• Can the BSD deliver this level of service to ALL kids?!  If my kid(s) is not in one of these great programs, then what?  I need to be aware of the strengths and the weaknesses within any given school environment.  I need to hear about and see some of the “warts” in the system to know that it’s not all “fairy dust” and that the district can identify areas of weakness as well for continued growth.
• “The rubber still has to hit the road” – what’s really happening in the classroom and within the school environments?  Once I can measure that in action and know that it matches more of the vision, then I’ll be confident as a parent that we’re on the right track 
• See disappointments of DCAS to understand some of my skepticism – that political “boondoggle” is beginning to make my blood boil with the amount of money DDOE wasted and the opportunity lost.
• In order for BSD to be accurately measured as to their efforts, the comparison has to be on a national or international scale.  I don’t think their efforts are comparable to other neighboring DE districts. 
• So as a parent, I need to look outside the state and do my research there.  Maybe there are other competitive districts down state or in Dover, I’m not sure.  But I don’t think it’s Red Clay or Christina that I should be comparing BSD to.  May be Garnet Valley school district or up near Kennett Squareis a bit more realistic.  Either way, in order to keep BSD “honest” with the measure of success for its efforts, I’m looking beyond the boundaries of DE.

• Where are the parents?  That was one of the reasons I started this Blog as I couldn’t hear or see the parent efforts in these system-changing discussions. 
• I was disappointed at the turn out at PTA meetings as a new year started and even exasperated at the focus of the meetings knowing, just a bit, about all of the educational endeavors going on.  And PTAs/Parent Groups can’t be all about fundraising.  Where is the advocacy?  Identifying the challenges within school operations that need parent support?  Educate our groups about the issues – we tell our kids “knowledge is power”.  That doesn’t stop once you’re an adult.  Gaining knowledge and information about our educational services & systems is a life-long effort.  We as parents (and taxpayers) need to keep our school systems on the cutting edge in the 21^st century and it’s not easy. It’s complicated BUT oh so necessary.  We need to KEEP OUR LEADERS HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE to these campaigns. 

It’s going to take us as parents to find each other and the issues/concerns that will energize us – because they impact the whole system, which in a trickle down effect – my school, my classroom and teacher and thus my kid(s).

So what is “energizing” you as a parent?  Let me hear from you!  Am I alone in my opinions? The only one who has these concerns? Let me know.

DCAS Note:  I am compiling a “fact sheet” on background info on DCAS.  But here is a little nugget – With ONLY 3 other states using the company that administers DCAS (Hawaii, Minnesota and Oregon), how much of a national comparison is that? I also find it a bit ironic that all the other states are far west of the Mississippi, yet our Supreme Court currently only has representation of East Coast educational institutions.  Mmmm.