Reply to Can Gentrifers Use Their Skills and Resources to "Make" a Great School?

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Reply to "Can Gentrifers Use Their Skills and Resources to "Make" a Great School?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Can I just throw in there, that non High SES parents can be involved and provide resources as well.  The original question, as pointed out was very off-putting.  Yes, you can make a significant impact on the school by bringing in resources, but the school won't change if you come in and act as if you are better able to help than those with less disposable income.  Middle class and lower income parents may also have time to contribute and will surely have useful talents. [b] It becomes a matter of outreach and engagement, which will have to be your first step if you really want to make a difference[/b].  [/quote]

Nah, neither actually equate to any real results.

Many parents are very aware of the school and needs but simply can't be engaged for various reasons. Lower income parents aren't always going to be working your standard 9-5 job or they work more than one job, or they simply focus on other activities.  A lot of the lower income parents are pretty young and still very wrapped up in themselves and their own social lives.

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Outreach and engagement is extremely important unless your desire is to alienate families.  And while many lower income parents are young they do care about their children.  I've worked with enough to know.  You just have to find the right way to engage them.  [/quote]

Meh. I would argue that this is exactly what the first few responses were arguing for, and that others (including me) think doesn't do anything. Under the current system, you're seen as uppity trouble-makers if you don't engage in the existing parents. You get tons of push back for being too entitled, and ultimately nothing changes. So alternatively, let's say you engage this group. You either face a bunch of parents who want to help but are unable to (for a variety of reasons) or best case, who face a bunch of parents who want to help. I'll agree with PP that many of these parents "want" to help. But what's the point?

Go back to some discussion a few pages back: having bake sales and fundraisers and fixing up the library with a bunch of parents (low SES, high SES whatever) doesn't do crap to turn around a school.  All it does is fix up the library, or earn a small bit of cash. That does not a better school make. Great schools can live without libraries. Lots of crappy schools have fantastic libraries. These activities are feel-good red herrings: you're "engaging the community"! we're supporting diversity!

Many of believe that the only way a school really changes to what we want is for the student body to fundamentally shift. As said earlier, that doesn't mean cutting out the existing student body. These schools have room for the new growth. So how to change the student body? Probably just try to motivate and create momentum among higher SES parents to get their kids to stay there.  High SES parents don't really gives a hoot about libraries, and white boards and all that crap. Those are just signals that other high SES parents are vested in improving the school. High SES parents just want to make sure there are enough other high SES parents to create the momentum.  [/quote]

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