Reply to Atlantic Article on Rolling Terrace and Outsized Role of Affluent White Parents

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Reply to "Atlantic Article on Rolling Terrace and Outsized Role of Affluent White Parents"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We're just down the road at ESS. Same problems, but perhaps less amplified because our kid's school doesn't have the immersion program.

Small, excessively vocal group of white, moneyed parents enforcing their values as if those values are indisputably correct. The PTA is trying to better engage the whole community, but these like 6 parents are so loud it just drowns everything else out. [/quote]

Another ESS zoned family and this is quite true. On the PTA listserv, which the principal used to be on, that small group of parents pushed for things that arguably were good for the school...more math enrichment for grades 3-5, a replacement of the crappy aftercare provider, they wrote grants for a garden project and all sorts of other things. But there were other things that were seriously based on their own values and priorities. For example, the yogurt sans sugar push was a bit annoying (yes, not good but this is a school with lots of other more pressing needs), overall it was the same handful of parents advocating.

The proof of disparity? In a school with a very large Ethiopian population, a recent post sought someone to translate fliers into Amharic. The person who'd done it in previous years was recommended. If the PTA was more diverse this would not have been an issue because lots of Ethiopian American parents would feel welcome and already be a part of the PTA. But at least the PTA was trying to reach out...

Anyway, the principal dropped off the listserv she says to not impede conversation. I think she just didn't want to have to listen to those parents' constant requests. [/quote]

I tend to agree with your criticisms of the handful of families dominating the conversation , but I think it's a little unfair to criticize the request for Amharic translation help.  It's the beginning of the school year, the PTA is getting their volunteer roster lined up, and asking for more folks to contribute to a much-needed element of parent outreach seems fine to me.  I'd be annoyed if they waited until mid-year to ask for help with translation, but an early in the year request feels very appropriate given that there's a whole new crop of parents.

For what it's worth, I feel like the whole drama over the crappy aftercare provider is a much better example of the kind of thing the Rolling Terrace article points out.  Yes, the aftercare provider is crappy.  No doubt.  But the price differential between the crappy provider and a better one is enormous.  So, if the most vocal parents are successful in getting a new care provider in place, there are going to be a lot of families working to make up the cost difference.

The whole point of the Atlantic article was what happens when middle class white parents push for changes that actively harm poor kids and kids of color.  Pushing to switch out the aftercare provider to a more expensive option seems like a good example of that phenomenon.

The one other thing I would note about PTA participation is that this year's PTA leadership is the most reflective of the school population in my  family's five years at the school.  With that said, PTA participation is not the only way to be involved.  There's a dad of a (I think) third grader who runs a soccer game almost every day after school, just to keep the kids busy.  There are parents who never show up to a PTA meeting, but who turn up every time the garden needs tending.  So, while I'd love to see more parents participating through the PTA, I also think it's worth noting all the ways that parents are contributing in less visible ways.  [/quote]

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