Annual Title I Parent Conference

Annual Title I Parent Conference for parents, educators, and community members.

At this conference, parents and community members will:

1. Get a better understanding of the Prince George’s County’s Title I Parent Involvement Plan, which is part of the district’s Master Plan;
2. Participate in workshops on how to work with educators as equal partners; Receieve information on how to support learning at home, work with diverse populations as well as topics such as understanding No Child Left Behind and Title I.

What is Title I ?

Title I is a federally funded program reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB). The purpose of Title I is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education and meet challenging state academic standards. The restricted grant funds provide supplementary funding to improve the teaching and learning of children Funds are to be used only for programs that supplement, and do not supplant, the services that would be provided in the absence of these funds.

All Title I schools benefit from centralized program services that include; instructional support, professional development, technology support, and parent involvement initiatives. Schools are required, by law, to develop school-parent compacts that define both school and home responsibilities for improving student achievement.

The conference is taking place at Eleanor Roosevelt HS on Saturday, October 29th from 8am-1pm.

Information Provided By:

Prince George’s County PTA Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 6139
Capitol Heights, Maryland 20790

‘Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize – Our Youth’

Visit Parents and PGCPS at: http://parentsandpgcps.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Meet Mike Robinson -- An Advocate for Prince George's County Students

Robinson, who was laid off by the school system last summer, writes a blog to keep county parents in the loop

By Khadijah Ali-Coleman

“While the economic outlook remains bleak, [the Prince George’s County Public Schools] budget will maintain the core instructional programs and services needed to support teaching and learning ...,” county Schools Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. wrote to school board Chairwoman Verjeana M. Jacobs in a letter of proposed budget cuts for the 2011-2012 school year.

The letter, sent last year as the new school board members were sworn in and local residents were winding down for the holidays, was given minimal attention -- aside from a few local media outlets and bloggers.

Yet, Laurel resident Mike Robinson, a self-appointed advocate for county parents and students, immediately picked up the story.

“This is big news,” he recalled.

Robinson not only posted the letter on his Parental Engagement with PGCPS blog, he began researching and posting the strides that parents in other states are taking to make schools better for their children.

In California, for instance, there's the controversial "Parent Trigger" Law instated last year. Under the state law, school districts must take drastic actions to overhaul schools if parents petition for the change. The changes could include firing school staffers, hiring new administrators or reopening as a charter school.

“Parents in [the Prince George’s County school] system have lost avenues to become engaged,” Robinson wrote on his blog. “Parents have seen doors closed in their faces. Attempts to silence their voices have reached epic proportions ranging from the loss of Parent Liaisons to the elimination of parental engagement programs and services.”

Robinson, father of two daughters in the school system, is the former Coordinating Supervisor for Parental Engagement and Community Outreach for Prince George’s County Public Schools. Although he was laid off last summer due to budget cuts, Robinson wanted an active network among parents with children in county schools.

The school system has not refilled Robinson's position or developed a similar position.

“There is absolutely no one at my daughter’s school who makes dealing with parents a priority,” said Lisa, a Fort Washington resident who declined to give her last name.

Lisa's daughter attends Avalon Elementary School in Temple Hills. “I enjoy Mike Robinson’s blog because he gives you tips on navigating the system and answers questions that even the staff at my daughter’s school either don’t have or don’t want to give," Lisa said.

Robinson hosts a weekly radio show podcast and maintains an active community of more than 400 parents. As he puts it, he wants to bridge a widening communication gap between parents and school system administrators.

“I just want to see that we are helping to build high-performance schools," Robinson said. "I work with an organization that works in the foster care system. I find the energy and find the time. It’s my passion."

For Robinson and his wife, the first priority is to provide a "better life" for their two daughters -- aged 5 and 15.

And, after learning that Prince George’s County schools are some of the lowest performing in Maryland, Robinson is clear that parental advocacy is key in helping students excel academically.

“For too long, parents get information spoon fed or at the last minute,” Robinson said. “I try to approach my role from the perspective of a parent. What would I want to know? Even if it’s not germane to me, it may be something that may relate to a neighbor."

And the information Robinson shares is of interest to most parents. He profiles on his blog interviews with parents actively engaged in the schools — such as Eileen Collins, president of the Laurel Elementary School PTA, and area activist Nakia Troi Ngwala, a local advocate for universal Pre-K, who became invested in county schools when she was barred from enrolling her young son in pre-K because of income restrictions.

Robinson informs parents of news that they may not know unless visiting the county’s website, as well as commentary from national education leaders who speak on trends in education ranging from technology to school choice.

“I had an opportunity recently to interview Dr. Mavis Sanders, author of Principals Matter: A Guide to School, Family, and Community Partnerships,” Robinson said. "And, she said that when you have school systems who want parental engagement, they will have it. When a school system doesn’t have it, then they don’t want it. You don’t make it difficult for contact. You don’t make it difficult for your consumers to find you. We just have lip service here in PG County schools.”

To learn more about Mike Robinson’s efforts to support parent advocacy in Prince George’s County, visit him at Parental Engagement with PGCPS.

Kimberly K. Parker: Get All The Facts

GET ALL THE FACTS

For close to two years, I had the extreme pleasure of serving Prince George’s County Public Schools as a Parent Liaison. Transitioning back into the workforce after being a stay-at-home-Momma for nine and one half years, I excitedly accepted the position with all of its possibilities! What made this opportunity most ideal was being able to fulfill this role at the school my children attended. What more could a Momma request?

Serving as a bridge between home, the school, and the community kept my plate overflowing! Not one to complain about a little hard work, I proudly entered the building ready to rise to every occasion and left that same building feeling I made a difference…daily! The overall experience rewarded me in ways too numerous to name and has changed my life completely. Discontinuing that vital service to the community was most unfortunate. While I am gainfully employed elsewhere by day and run a small publishing company by night, I truly miss “my parents.”

Above all else, my parents knew that I was there to support them. As adults, we should really learn to sit at their feet for a spell. As I reflect on the monthly reports I submitted, contacting a parent or being contacted by a parent via telephone, email, letter, or face to face often times exceeded 200 occurrences per month. Not every missive was laced with sugar and spice. Sometimes, the concerns were both sensitive and serious and demanded immediate attention. I knew that in order to be effective as the parent advocate, I had to remain neutral and get all the facts. Whenever the situation involved a conflict between students, I would obtain permission from the school and the families involved to speak directly with the children.

I will forever embrace that children are out greatest teachers. Yet, their account of what actually happened, who was involved, why it occurred, and how was it handled differed from the initial conversation with the parent. While it appeared that “Kevin” was pushed out of line while walking down the hall, “Simone” actually tripped over her shoestrings and attempted to brace herself before falling. I can still hear my parent say, “Mrs. Parker, I really apologize for blaming that child for pushing my child.”

I can give countless examples of these types of outcomes. Instead, I’d like to offer the following suggestions when getting all the facts: 1. Take great strides to approach any situation calmly. Flared tempers, flowery statements, and threatening body language are such a disservice to you, your child, and the school. 2. No matter how right you think you are, remember that you can only truly testify to what you actually witness. While your child may not be mendacious, perspective and lapse in time from the initial event has the tendency to distort the truth. 3. Provide an opportunity for your child to express his thoughts and concerns without intimidation and listen intently. Children are to be both seen and heard. If you really want to know why children don’t listen to adults, it’s because adults don’t listen to children. 4. Turn every experience (yes, even if it’s unpleasant) into a teachable moment. Discuss with your child the importance of making right choices, honoring another person’s feelings, and standing up for what’s right. Be open to a peaceful resolution while incorporating consequences for unacceptable behavior. It is neither cute nor funny nor justifiable to allow your child to break the rules. Wrong is wrong!

Kimberly K. Parker is the owner of Writing Momma Publishing (www.writingmomma.com). She is hosting “REACH! This workshop is POWER PACKED with great information on preparing for college, investments and savings, buying a home, and more! Visit www.reach.eventbrite.com to purchase tickets and for more information. Kimberly is an author and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children.

How do I find out if schools are closed or closing?

We use many outlets to deliver emergency information about Prince George’s County Public Schools. You can log onto the PGCPS Web site (http://www.pgcps.org/) and find the information listed at the top of the homepage and each individual school page.

Sign up for subscription service from http://www.schoolsout.com/ to receive an email or text as soon as the decision is announced. Watch PGCPS TV96/38 in Prince George’s County. Call the PGCPS Weather Line at 301-952-6000; option 1. Tune into local television and radio stations for information. View Emergency Weather Codes and Plans.