It’s an issue of equity

When it comes to education, Connected Communities believes that the journey starts at the beginning of a child's life, in the home. It is why we promote community-centered educational supports and have cultivated partnerships with Beechwood and EMMA Early Childhood Facilities, School No. 33, and East High School to promote community schools as viable school choice options.

Connected Communities is also equally invested in focusing on connecting with families to make every family engagement opportunity education-driven. Through our Family Engagement Surveys, we have found that families rarely have in-depth knowledge about their children’s academic programs, successes, policies, or academic standing. 

To create equity in resource accessibility, we partnered with the Rochester Education Fellowship and its development of the READY School Finder. This tool aligns with the belief that families benefit most when their concerns are met with knowledge and the tools to make informed choices. It will be used to educate Rochester’s families on their options when selecting an ideal school for their children. 

At our first READY School Finder information session I witnessed the Fellow educate families through relationship building while developing “trust through truth.” Our families engaged in dialogue about accountability data, school system budgets, and the future of our students in a city that is currently facing challenges. I am excited to see how the READY School Finder will strengthen the knowledge of our families on the performance of our schools and serve as an essential tool for the broader community that elevates the education of our children as a joint priority.

KARA BROWN

Education Project Manager, Connected Communities

Lend your voice

I always knew I wanted to be actively involved with my children’s education and school community, but was initially unsure about how to lend my voice. I learned a lot by participating in the Greater Rochester Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) and connecting with dozens of like-minded parent leaders across Monroe County. 

When my husband, kids, and I moved to the Rochester area eight years ago, I started engaging by getting involved with my oldest child’s parent teacher organization (PTO). I coordinated the spring fundraiser, started a sponsorship program for local businesses, chaired the playground committee, co-founded a special education parent teacher organization, and spoke at several Board of Education meetings in support of struggling learners including those who are dyslexic.  

Throughout that time, I developed good relationships with other parent leaders, staff, and administrators- the foundation of a solid school community. What if we went Beyond the Bake Sale?  

I need parents to be involved in all discussions and decisions regarding our children because I know their priority, like mine, is the children. Period. Other stakeholders have competing priorities and demands such as budgets, state regulations and mandates and more. A parent is laser focused on their child’s needs and is their best advocate. 

Parents have the power to make our schools better places for all our children by building relationships and accepting opportunities to engage in decision-making tables, or if they don’t exist, set the table and get to work. 

Every day I connect with talented, generous, and committed parents and family members who care deeply about our children and want to be involved in positive, collaborative, and meaningful ways. Parents are assets. Unfortunately, they’re too often seen as liabilities. It’s time for a shift, the future of our families and community depends on it.

TINA CARNEY

Parent Champion and Advocate

Stewarding change

Our community has a long history of generosity, and funders have a vital role in stewarding change. However, if we are serious about change, Rochester’s philanthropic efforts must steer clear of “funding the familiar,” where resources are directed to well-known organizations and leaders.

Now more than ever, we see the needs of our community, and far too often these needs impact the way we engage and educate our students and support our leaders. Funders have an opportunity to impact our school systems by providing access to flexible funding streams to foster transformative change that is responsive to immediate goals and systemic change. Philanthropic dollars can support academic and career-enhancing activities and programmatic expansion to allow schools to enhance what works and improve life outcomes for our children.

In my previous role as program officer of equity at the Rochester Area Community Foundation and in my current capacity as the founding executive director of the University Preparatory Charter School Foundation, I have assumed the role of a servant leader working to bring the dreams of our children, families, and educators to fruition.

We must fund initiatives that are breaking barriers and providing viable prospects for our most vulnerable residents. This funding strategy is best served by those who have relationships and lived experiences with our targeted communities. Relationships and deep understanding, either through firsthand experiences or social encounters, enable funders to prioritize investments. Keep in mind, relationships take time and go two ways. Funders need to be in this for the long term, as many issues that plague our schools were not created overnight. System leaders and funders must develop bonds of trust that are grounded by a shared vision, intentional steps, and impactful results. In doing so, funders should also invite students and parents to participate in creating needed change in education.

We all have a part to play. Together, we can devise a playbook that ensures our community’s success.

MAYA CRANE

Founding Executive Director, University Preparatory Charter School Foundation

Building a robust pipeline

When I started my career, I had no interest in teaching or working with kids in any capacity. In fact, I went to school for electrical engineering and technology, and I worked at L3 Harris in Rochester.

In my spare time, however, I tutored grade school students in math. Each day I regaled my coworkers with stories about my students. Unfortunately, these anecdotes were prompted by students’ difficulties with simple math facts. A coworker asked me to “do something about it,” offering information on the Teachers for Tomorrow program at Roberts Wesleyan College.

After much thought and consideration, I decided to apply. The program transitions people from other careers into teaching. Now, several years later, I work hard with my students, relating to them, encouraging them, and ensuring that they get the high-quality education they need, desire and deserve.

Nobody asked me to become a teacher. It wasn’t a career path that was highlighted in high school. Even today, teaching isn’t the top choice at a high school job fair. Though education wasn’t my goal, it has become just that.

I am a Rochesterian; I grew up here, attended Rochester City School District schools, I was a parent to students in the RCSD, and I have been employed by the school district for 19 years.

Both my sons started in city schools, eventually graduating from Penfield High School. My oldest went through the Urban Suburban program, and my younger son until grade 3. In the city, schools and teachers struggled to accommodate my younger son, who like a couple of others, was learning above grade level. In the 2nd grade, he was reading at a 5th grade level, and was beyond addition and subtraction. My son began to get bored—yelling out answers, helping other students during independent time and walking around the room. 

Meeting after meeting did not result in solutions. The only way forward was to send my son around to help in the lower grades, which is not enrichment by any means. I watched his interest in reading fade and I did what I had to do to not “lose” my kid. It was a tough choice, given my deep connection to the Rochester community, to place him in a suburban school to get the best education possible.

I do not want our families to feel what I felt. I am even more motivated to ensure our students are receiving the best education. We need to be better at recruiting, preparing, and celebrating our teachers, while holding them accountable.

Today, as principal of Franklin Middle School, I work to make sure our students have educators that respect them as learners, set high expectations for them, teach them what they are expected to know, and love them. I do this by creating an environment of support, trust and high expectation. Our RCSD students need to shine and know their worth. That journey begins with the people who have the biggest impact on them and their education—their teachers!

STEPHANIE HARRIS

Principal. Franklin Middle School

Our culture, our pride

I am a Black, male CEO of University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men, a successful charter school that provides opportunities for children from neighborhoods where I was raised, in a public school system that allowed me to dream and prepared me for college and career, and in a role that fulfills my passion to build the next generation of leaders for my community.    

I am proud of the culture we’ve created at UPrep. Our excellence is intentional and distinct. We purposely embed diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in everything we do, from curriculum and instruction to hiring practices and staff development. At UPrep, our teachers are developed, supported, and thrive in educating young men of color. In addition to meaningful practices, my students see me every day as an academic leader, mentor, and advocate for our community.  

We know that students benefit from having teachers who resemble and represent them. Research indicates that Black students are less likely to dropout and likely to attend college when they have a Black teacher in their formative years. As it stands, 15 percent of public-school students in the United States identify as Black. Yet, only 7 percent of public-school teachers identify as Black. While Black teachers make up a small percentage of the teacher workforce in Rochester, at UPrep we have fostered a culture in which an overwhelming majority of our staff resembles the student body.  

In response to the excellence that is modeled by our educators, our young men have asked for opportunities to follow suit. Our team is working with area colleges to develop a dual enrollment program with built-in incentives and opportunities for our students pursue teacher apprenticeships, mentorship, and professional learning. UPrep’s Career and Technical Education program also helps our learners find employment upon graduation. 

UPrep’s culture demonstrates that it is possible to model excellence, through educators and through learning opportunities for our children. Let's replicate that.

WALTER LARKIN Jr.

CEO, University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men

End the school-to-prison pipeline

As a Monroe County Family Court Judge and former Chief of Staff of the Rochester City School District I have had a unique perspective regarding the issue of school-to-prison pipeline. 

The school-to-prison pipeline is where a disproportionally large number of young people of color are funneled out of public schools and into the criminal justice system. It is a reflection of disciplinary policies and practices in our schools.

I have seen firsthand how districts or individual schools, in their attempt to address discipline within their school system, adopt a “get tough” approach using out of school suspension, expulsion, and arrests. I have seen school policies contribute to the existing racial and ethnic disparities in public education.

These inequalities often produce lower graduation rates among minority youth, which contributes to higher rates of criminality among these youth. One in five Rochester students drop out of school while one in three students graduate from high school on time. Only 13 percent of our students are proficient in English Language Arts and Math.

We must link schools to pipeline busting community resources that they can access and that provide interventions for children and families. I had the pleasure to be involved in with one such community resource at both RCSD, and now in the Courts, is the JUST Law program. The JUST Law program was designed to educate 6th through 9th grade students about the U.S. legal system.  For example, through the program, judges visit participating schools in the RCSD, where they explain the workings of the justice system works, as well as the role it plays in the Rochester community. In turn, students share their experiences with the system.

The key to the program is collaboration. The effort aims to help RCSD middle-school students and high-school freshmen better understand the law and our country’s legal system. Through this program students gain legal literacy, develop strong writing skills, and hope that through this positive pipeline, students may prepare for potential career opportunities in the court system.

Let’s end the school-to-prison pipeline for good.

Fatimat O. Reid

Monroe County Family Court Judge

The new CRT: A parent engagement solution

The time has come to view parent engagement from a different vantage point. Enter the new CRT—Communication, Relationships and Trust.

I know the acronym is controversial for some right now, but what I am talking about is a shift in focus within our schools that may improve not only how our parents are perceived by school staff, but also inject an understanding of how engagement may look different in urban environments. 

Schools should employ communication, relationships and trust as cornerstones if they want to see improved engagement. Being strategic about what is communicated to and by whom and when, as well as being intentional about building authentic relationships based on trust is critical 

The new CRT relies on being strategic, authentic and intentional. Parents in urban environments do not have time to waste on events that they don't believe benefit them and they can see right through inauthenticity. Let’s commit to the time and work that is needed to cultivate an inclusive and purposeful new CRT while recognizing that it isn't a one-stop solution but part of a comprehensive plan for parent engagement.

We utilized this strategy at an academically failing junior/senior high school and saw a transition from one parent on the School Based Planning Team to parent ownership across both the middle and high schools. Parents now co-lead the Family and Community Engagement Team. 

Give the new CRT a try, your parents are worth the effort!

Lorna Washington, EdD

Parent and Parent Advocate

As parents we want what's best!

As parents we want what's best for our children and having the choice of where our children can grow and learn is most important. Whether it’s an environment that provides exploratory learning, or offers culturally relevant instruction, or simply fosters strong character building. All of these represent a snapshot of the possibilities that should be provided in a high performing public school system.

Sadly, many of Rochester’s children enrolled in public school systems do not have equitable access to rigor and excellence. These systems play an important role in the trajectory of our children's future. Strong public school systems should be seen as the cornerstones of viable and sustainable communities. 

As spring is approaching and we begin to look at options for the 2022-2023 school year, we need to visualize how we define strong public-school systems. What is important to you and your children’s learning needs?

Thriving school systems should offer high-quality learning experiences, support families, and engage the broader community as partners to promote racial, economic, and political equity in our society.  As a first time parent of a kindergartener and a proud member of the Rochester community, I believe it's imperative that we begin to equip families with the information and resources needed to select best fit, high-quality education choices for Rochester’s future. 

Below are a few things that come to mind, that we as parents should consider in selecting schools.

• Don’t discount accountability!  I get it, it's very hard to navigate the public education system and decode “school jargon”.  However, the more we can understand about how the State assesses our schools, the better we will be making an informed decision on school selection. I believe this should be one of the first steps that families take in selecting schools. The New York State Education Department provides Data Report Cards which present information on the successes and challenges of schools throughout the state; a glossary of terms is available here.  

• Culture and climate are best assessed during visits. A culture where parents are embraced as educational partners, increases the educational success of children.  A good school is one in which students and families feel safe, welcomed, and valued.  In considering schools, we should request to tour school buildings to see and feel the climate and culture that is provided.  Parent engagement and involvement are essential to establishing a collective voice to bring awareness to issues that impact the educational opportunities afforded to Rochester’s children. 

• Best fit learning opportunities for your children.  We know that school choice is only relevant when it leads to high-quality learning opportunities, and those opportunities are most realized when the needs and interests of children are fulfilled. In selecting schools, families must have access to diverse options to achieve success – i.e. an innovative portfolio of schools and programs to explore interests and skills for life beyond the classroom.

• School Choice. REMEMBER WE HAVE OPTIONS! As parents we need to exercise our right to choose the best fit option for our children. School choice allows federal and state public education funds to follow the student to any public school of choice. We have a variety of traditional public and charter public schools within the city of Rochester. Do your research and make an informed decision based on what’s best for your children!

You should be informed and equipped with facts to make the best decisions for your children's education. From one parent to another, remember it is your right -- and your responsibility-- to seek the very best education for your children.

Ashara Baker, Parent and Equity Warrior

How do we pick schools for our children?

Do we make decisions based on academic ranking, safety, or proximity? Or is it some other factor altogether?

Nationally, it turns out parents’ priorities are not always as simple as they might seem. Parents weigh several factors—from giving their children access to high-quality education to realities such as transportation—when selecting a school. More school options can become a burden for some while for others it translates into multiple applications, deadlines, and a plethora of opportunities. Whether it is the charter school system, public or private schools, choosing a school has become a task that demands careful deliberation.

At its core, school-choice policy is expected to lead to better student outcomes. With more schools competing, parents should have access to schools that are developing curricula and classrooms that challenge students. However, experts have found that such competition has limited positive effects on student achievement. Student demographics, socio-economic status and access to schools undoubtedly influence school choice. For example, lower-income families have fewer resources and struggle with hurdles such as after-school care and transportation.

Preliminary data show our community falls in line with national trends. Initial responses to the first REF Community Survey ranked the need to focus on “rigorous and challenging academics” and “technology rich learning environments” last among the areas that I should be thinking about as we work to develop joint priorities and goals to address existing challenges in our schools and education systems. 

When only considering parents, less than half (47.1%) of parents ranked “rigorous and challenging academics” as a priority and only 29.4% of parents ranked “technology-rich learning environments” as a priority.

As we examine the best way to make our education systems work for our families, we need to consider what parents expect. We must understand that the freedom to choose learning environments is a fundamental right that often aligns with parents’ values. Over the next several months I will engage our community in discussion to understand the expectations of students, families, and educators when it comes to our public-school systems. 

Join the movement, learn more about upcoming engagement opportunities here.