New Report: Successful Community Organizing for School Reform

Posted by on November 15, 2002

[Public Education Network Newsblast]

SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY ORGANIZING FOR SCHOOL REFORM
Many educators say that they cannot do the work of educating children alone, particularly low- and moderate-income children and children of color. Unfortunately, there are few mechanisms that allow parents and community members in low-income neighborhoods to play a meaningful role in the education of their children. For many people involved in education, parent participation is not seen as important or meaningful. As Lucy Ruiz, a parent and an organizer with the Alliance Organizing Project in Philadelphia put it, “Parents are seen as the pretzel sellers.” The common viewpoint is that parents are seen as the people who drop their kids off at school, conduct fundraisers, and occasionally volunteer time in a classroom. Community organizing seeks to change that dynamic. A recent report from Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform and Research for Action documents the methods used in community organizing for school reform and provide measures for evaluating their success.
http://www.crosscity.org/programs/indicators/findings.htm