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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm a teacher. Here's what I would suggest. 
First of all, go in assuming competence. Assume thwt the parents, teacher, admins are all not only doing their best but also know what they are doing. You may later find that this is untrue- but if you don't start there you're not going to get anywhere.
First thing: ask the teacher what she needs. Some teachers can do wish lists, other can't or won't for good reasons. So start by asking.  I often need supplies thwt you wouldn't think of necessarily- masking tape, kid pencils. Posterboard. Or maybe the teacher wants parents to help with recess or reading groups or whatever. But maybe not- as any teacher will tell you, sometimes having parents in the classroom is far more trouble than it's worth.
After that, though, I think your best bet is more policy based. Use every resource and connection you have to push for better training for teachers. Or for a better free breakfast and lunch program, or better and more comprehensive counseling and sped services, because even the greatest teachers in the world are stymied by kids who are starving, abused, homeless. Look at programs that truly offer wraparound services and see what you can emulate. Fundraise for more 1:1 aides for the kids who really need them.  Make sure, though, that you are talking to your kids teacher in all of this. Teaching is HARD. it's almost impossible to describe how hard to people who've never done it. It's easy for us to feel attacked because we so often are- but meanwhile we are thinking about your kids constantly, waking in the night to contemplate ways to help them, throwing our entire selves into helping other peoples children. So talk to the teachers, first. Make sure you aren't making them feel attacked even more. Teachers usually know what they need, what their school needs, and should have invaluable suggestions. [/quote]
So helpful to hear from a teacher. I think our Title I has most of these things. But I have wondered if the school can do more with one-on-one tutoring outside of the regular school day. Teachers do a little bit of tutoring after school, but it's not much. We're not near downtown, so hard to find volunteers to tutor after school (has to be before 6 pm). I have wondered if we should start a Saturday morning tutoring program and make a big push to recruit tutors from the neighborhood. But our principal doesn't seem interested. I think she worries about burning out the teachers who would need to be involved to make it work. Like most Title Is we have a lot of young, inexperienced teachers who are already overwhelmed with preparing for the school day.

But to help the kids who are way behind academically (and this is a dual language school so they have the barrier of being ELL, too), it seems to me that there is only so much teachers can do during the school day. Surely matching them with a volunteer tutor on Saturday mornings would help. Any teachers who can weigh in? [/quote]
Previous teacher poster here. 
Hmm. Teacher tutoring can be terrific- but I would b very reluctant to ask teachers to put in more overtime. But what about trained competent teachers who aren't  currently in the classroom ft- subs, retirees, ppl on maternity leave? 
Personally, I don't want parents in my PK room helping because it tends to get the reactive kids more riled up and then there's extra climbing the furniture, throwing blocks,hitting, etc. but if a parent asked me what they could do, especially if they mentioned $$/influence, I would ask for supplies-'like dry erase markers, we never have enough of those, or my dream social emotional curriculum, or whatever. I would also love for parents to Fundraise for, as I said above, more 1:1 aides (trained and good aides!) for the kids that need them- we have one who desperately needs an aide but only has one half days meaning afternoons are hell. and good teachers (which sadly is not all teachers!) are always open to improving...so I would be thrilled if parents hired, say, a specialist on classroom management for very challenging children and had that person do a workshop or meet with teachers who are having trouble. Beyond that, though, I would suggest doing as much policy work as possible. Kids who are hungry, homeless, don't have supplies, etc, often act out because they are so deprived. So push for healthy free meals 3x a day. Organize a campaign to get a backpack with supplies, grocery store gift cards, etc to any family thwt needs them. Work on campaigns for politicians who both want to make education better in the ways you'd like do see AND may have the power to do so. Lobby. If you don't live in DC and therefore have actual representatives, talk to them. Support the kids in your child's class- invite them for sleepovers, make sure to learn their names and ask them how they are...
That said...I wonder a lot if our schools are even redeemable. The best thing you can do, probably, is to keep your high SES kids at your local public and encourage others to do the same: we aren't going to see great schools unless and until they are at least half highish SES. But American schools are so broken that I sometimes wonder if we ought to just burn them all and start from scratch! 
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