Parent U-Turn Parents Gathering and Sharing Information for Quality Schooling

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Parent U-TurnParents Gathering and Sharing
Information for Quality Schooling
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Who are we? And why are we here?

• Mary Johnson
• Emma Street
• Toimicia Deffebaugh
• Angelita Andrade
• Valerie Muñoz

These are our stories...
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Mary Johnson

• Parent, Leader, Activist, Politician
• I want to improve my skills as a woman organizer
  in a male dominated field.
• I want to become a better advocate for the kids
  in our community.
• I want to empower parents for students rights.

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Emma Street

• Parent, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Activist
• I hope to leave a legacy behind for future
  generations.

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Toimicia Deffeeaugh

• Parent, Activist
• I want to help parents get involved in their
  childrens education.
• I want to give children positive guidance.

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Angelita Andrade

• Parent, Activist
• I want to walk my children through the journey of
  their education and show them that I care about
  their future.
• I wont lose the faith before we make changes.

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Valerie Muñoz

• Parent, Activist
• I have many children going to public school and
  it worries me that they wont be prepared for
  their future.
• I wont give up until I see a good change.

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Problem/Issue/Question

• South High has many problems that need to be
  addressed by administrators, parents and
  community members. These problems include low
  test scores, low attendance, low teacher/child
  ratio, and a low percentage of teachers with
  credentials. Also, parent voices are not heard
  at South High.
• How do the conditions of LA schools affect
  students academically and socially?
• How can we change our community in order to
  promote a safe and effective educational
  environment for all students?

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Methods

• Surveys
• Parent observation check-list
• Observations
• Interviews with Principals
• Focus Groups
• Talked to parents at home schools

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Sample Survey Question

• Do you think your student is receiving an
  education based on state standards?

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Findings Do you think your student is receiving
an education based on state standards?Yes 34
No 44 Dont Know 22
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Sample Survey Questions

• Does your childs school inform parents about
  state standards?

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Findings Does your childs school inform
parents about state standards?Yes 35 No
50 Dont Know 17
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Sample Survey Questions

• Is your childs teacher fully credentialed?

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Findings Is your childs teacher fully
credentialed?Yes 32 No 22 Dont Know 49
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Sample Survey Questions

• Is the bathroom open and clean for students to
  use all day?

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Findings Is the bathroom open and clean for
students to use all day?Yes 45 No 50 Dont
Know 9
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Parent Findings in Summary

• Parents say that the A - G curriculum is not
  being taught.
• Students say they have no access to counselors.
• Parents report that facilities, bathrooms, and
  food are poor across the board.
• Parents report that schools do not welcome parent
  involvement.
• Parents and students are intimidated by teachers
  and administrators.
• Parents dont know what a quality education is.
• Parents arent informed about California state
  standards.
• Parents don t know if their childs teacher has
  a credential or not.
• Parents dont know their rights or how to hold a
  school accountable.
• Schools dont inform students on college
  preparation.

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Process Findings

• Parents are too busy to stop and fill out survey
• Parents are afraid/intimidated by surveys.
  Surveys and research are foreign to them.
• Principals and schools are reluctant to answer
  questions and talk to parents.
• Principals do not hold themselves accountable.

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Moving Ahead

• Sample School Accountability Report Card (SARC)
  Teachers
• Degrees Bachelors, Masters/Above,
• Experience School, District, New, 1-3 years, 4-6
  years, 7-9 years, 10/more years.
• Teaching within area of degree
• Teacher Average Daily Attendance
• Teacher Identified as Failing
• Teacher Turn Over Rate
• Parent Union
• Parent Curriculum Training
• Town Hall Presentation
• Letter to Superintendent Dr. Harold Cebrun

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What We Learned In Summary

• Credentialed teachers leave.
• State standards are not taught.
• Students arent learning and arent prepared for
  college.
• There is not a lot of parent involvement.
• A - G are not being taught.