"It Takes a Village": Parent and Community Engagement in Charter Schools

• In Event: Beyond Test Scores: The Civic Implications of No-Excuses Charter Schools

Abstract

A major component of civic engagement is the ability to act collectively, as part of a community (Westheimer & Kahne, 2004). Such community-based action may be even more critical for low-income urban residents, who simultaneously face the challenges of systemic disinvestment and outside interference in the form of policies created for but not by them (Carr, 2013; Troutt, 2013). In this talk, a parent, S.T., will speak about her experiences engaging with her children’s school, first as a board member, and later as an “outsider” following the takeover of the community charter school by a no-excuses network. Contending, “it takes a village,” she explains the critical importance of parent involvement and community engagement in charter schools. The following summary represents her arguments and perspectives.

Cultivating parent leadership in schools is vital because parents think about the kids in a way that many other school leaders may not. Given the pressures schools face today, administrators can become overly focused on “the numbers,” especially test scores and budgets. Parents help to ground school leadership in kids’ needs. This role was highlighted by S.T.’s experience as a board member of a community charter school. This school, having not made adequate progress in raising test scores, was faced with the choice of either shutting down or turning itself over to a charter operator. Many board members were in favor of shutting the school down; however, S.T. was able to convince the board that kids needed the school to remain open, even though that meant turning it over to a charter network.

Unfortunately, when the network took over, they did not allow parents on the new board. S.T. believes that this is a serious error. In her experience, the new school leaders were not familiar with her community or with the challenges kids and families are facing—a perspective parents could have provided. This means that the programs and resources the school offers parents may not be those that are most needed. In contrast, allowing parents to become leaders in the school would also have forged significant connections to the community, because most parents work in the community.

Such connections are about more than the school supporting the community; they also allow the community to support the school. At the school S.T.’s children attend, the extended school day and consequent additional burden on teachers means that teacher-run after-school activities are fairly limited. Bringing community organizations into the school could provide many more opportunities for kids while alleviating teachers’ responsibilities.

How schools position themselves relative to communities has profound significance in their role as civic institutions. S.T.’s experiences and perspectives highlight the need for schools to work in collaboration with parents and communities, instead of in isolation or even in opposition to them. This involves recognizing parents and communities as valuable resources in the challenging task of educating and supporting young people.

Author

• Shanique Taliaferro