Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/50712
LOCAL: MEMBERS: COMMUNITY: POPULATION: OUTREACH: Merced City Teachers Association 461 Merced 78,958 Coachella Valley Teachers Association 919 Coachella Valley 40,704 Closing achievement gaps between poor students and white students Merced, Coachella and San Jose call for closing achievement gap H OW CAN TEACHERS, administrators, parents, community groups, businesses, faith-based organizations and other interested parties work together to close the achieve- ment gap in schools? This question was posed by forums held in communities par- ticipating in CTA and NEA's Public Engagement Project, aimed at closing achievement gaps through community conversations and actions. NEA grants were awarded to hold community outreach pro- grams in Alum Rock (San Jose), Merced and Coachella Valley to discuss ways of closing the achievement gap between poor and minority students and white students. So far, two forums have been held in each community, moderated by CTA staff, leaders and members, who had attended a four-day training program at NEA headquarters in Washington, D.C. "It's the first time anything like that has happened in Merced," says Donnell Jordan, a community outreach consultant for CTA. "All segments of the community were involved, and parents were engaged all the way through the process." After the forums, members of the Merced City Teachers Association (MCTA) formed a public engagement program with parents, business people, community residents and others interested in closing the achievement gap. "We need parent and community support," says Dora Crane, MCTA president. "Students are more than just test scores. We need to maintain the progress that was made, and build on that." In Coachella Valley, meetings were held in both English and Spanish, and parents made a strong case for having "bi- literacy" intervention programs in schools to help close the achievement gap. Parents also requested training in computer technology and how to communicate with their child's teacher about academic progress. A third meeting is planned, and for- mal recommendations based on the discussion groups will be presented to the Coachella Valley Unified School District. There were also discussions about cultural differences between educators and parents. Latino families, for example, may not always understand how important it may be for their child to leave the home and attend college if they receive a scholarship. In Alum Rock, the participants outlined three areas of con- cern they would like to see improved: parent involvement and engagement, communication and collaboration, and health and safety conditions at school. Recommendations are now in the works on how to make improvements in these areas, and they will soon be submitted to the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District and Eastside Union High School District boards. "It's good for us as an organization to reach out and show the community we are interested in what they have to say," says Don Dawson, the CTA Board member who represents the area. "A lot of times we may think parents are the enemy when they are actually our friends. It's a positive way of working together. In light of the attacks on public education, it's something we need to do." Alum Rock Teachers Association 669 San Jose 945,942 Investing in relationships "You need to invest in a fire truck before there's a fire," explains CTA Community Out- reach specialist Barbara Smith. "You don't want to wait until there's an emergency before you start trying to invest in relationships with others in your community. You want to have communication already in place so that if you are in a crisis, people are there for you and you aren't trying to build relationships from scratch. That way, when there's an emergency, you have all your ducks in a row." Community outreach, adds Smith, means going "beyond the pancake breakfast" and just socializing with community leaders over food once a month. It means spending time talk- 14 California Educator / December 2011 • January 2012 COMMUNITY OUTREACH DOESN'T MEAN JUST REACHING OUT TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHEN YOU NEED HELP. COMMUNITY OUTREACH SHOULD BE TAKING PLACE EVEN WHEN AN EMERGENCY ISN'T LOOMING. ing about real issues impacting your students and their families — including housing, safety, social services, transportation, and, of course, public education. Community outreach is an ideal way to improve the quality of life in your community — and also show what you and your associa- tion stand for. "We need ongoing visibility in our communi- ties, and we do this by working with stakeholders to build rela- tionships and partnerships," says Jim Thrasher, manager of CTA's Community Outreach Depart- ment. "We do not want the public to see us only when we are demanding higher salaries or urging the school board to pass a budget." So how can you tell if community outreach is successful? "Sometimes you can't tell if com- munity outreach is working, and you think you are just talking to this group or that group," says Margaret Hoyos, a CTA Community Out- reach specialist. "One of the simplest ways to COMMUNITY OUTREACH IS AN IDEAL WAY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUR COMMUNITY — AND ALSO SHOW WHAT YOU AND YOUR ASSOCIATION STAND FOR. C NO TRMN C M E E UI TY