School can be a frustrating place, not only for students, but also for teachers, parents and community members. Many adults want to maintain neighborhood schools, but cringe at Orwellian behavioral expectations and the importance placed on standardized test scores. In New Orleans, where I teach, school quality varies widely across the city, especially for students in special education.
The school where I teach is safe and inclusive; that’s a big plus. As a teacher, I’m also proud of the significant academic gains our students have made in the three years since it was taken over by a charter. Still, as a parent, I feel this school is far from the ideal environment where I want to someday enroll my now-toddler son. I dream of art and dance classes, collaborative group work, project-based learning, and plenty of opportunities for student choice and leadership. I realize that, to make these things happen, I need to pull up a seat at the table where decisions are made. In order for positive change to occur, all stakeholders must be part of the conversation.
I’ve been inspired lately by wins at schools across the country. My own school’s Honor Council (powered mostly by fifth-graders) recently presented principals with a proposal for longer lunch periods and recess. Those valuable extras showed up in the schedule the next week. In Los Angeles, parents and community members convinced the district to adopt a more dignified discipline policy, banning suspensions for subjective offenses like “willful defiance,” and choosing instead to institute positive behavior supports. This spring, parents and community members in Meridian, Miss. collaborated with the Southern Poverty Law Center, resulting in the Department of Justice agreeing to address policies that contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline.
In my hometown, collaboration between community members and a group of charter schools in New Orleans East has restored one school’s climate so students can be safe and academically successful. It’s a huge step for this town, which many say was deeply hurt by a reform movement that largely excluded the local community. These are tremendous victories. But, there are also frustrations. I’ve learned that one of the highest-performing schools in the district doesn’t even have a parent-teacher-organization.
I share the dream of all parents: to know I could send my child to any public school in my city and trust that it will empower him. I hope that every teacher will be part of fostering this kind of school environment. Realizing this dream requires me to do my part.
I’m starting small by facilitating a monthly parent support group, and encouraging my principal to conduct parent surveys and host more conversations with families throughout the year. To make schools work for all students, we need families to be a part of them.
Craven is a social and emotional interventionist in Louisiana.
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