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by Rita Axelroth
Sayre High School in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a university-assisted community school managed by the Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania. The Center for Community Partnerships works to mobilize resources and build collaboration among teachers, families, the community, and the university.
Sayre offers a variety of programs to get parents engaged in the life of the school and to encourage student success. These programs include
- A daily after-school program that serves 80 youths;
- Monthly parent meetings that allow parents to mingle with other families and staff;
- Family fitness programs that offer parents opportunities to be active with their children and to participate in events such as African dance classes and free health screenings; and
- A summer school program that offers students the opportunity to participate in math, science, music, and computer classes, as well as sports activities.
One component of the partnership between the school and the university is the Sayre Beacon program. (Beacons are school-based centers run by outside organizations and offering services to participants of all ages-after school, in the evening, on the weekend, and over the summer.) According to Tanya Thompson, a parent and a leader of the Sayre Beacon Council, "Students become empowered when they see that their parents are active and interested, and that they have a support base around them."
by Linda Harrell
Communities In Schools (CIS) is a national organization that connects schools with community resources to help young people learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. CIS accomplishes this goal by enlisting support from businesses, industries, churches, civic groups, service organizations, and individuals.
In North Carolina, CIS reaches students and families through several major programs, including one in the city of Rocky Mount that promotes college access by providing academic support and scholarships for middle school students. Before students are selected to participate in this program, parents attend an orientation and sign an agreement to support their students' participation in the program. During the program, administrators keep in close contact with the parents about their children's progress. The community supports the students by providing special programming, mentors, job fairs, and college tours.
CIS works to promote family engagement in the lives of students throughout North Carolina by helping develop family resource centers in schools and other community settings. The centers offer a wide range of activities for the entire family, including parenting classes, job readiness training, educational services, and health screenings.
Further, CIS runs a variety of neighborhood-based learning centers in areas of North Carolina with public or low-income housing. These centers provide opportunities for parents to attend parent-teacher conferences, to work on their literacy skills, and to learn other skills that can help them support their children's academic success. In addition, school personnel hold conferences at the centers.
Last year, local CIS programs in North Carolina provided services to more than 30,000 parents and family members to help them support their children.
by Hersilia Mendez
Some community schools encourage parent and community involvement in the school with the help of a person employed by an outside organization. This is the case at P.S. 8, the Luis Belliard School, in New York City. At P.S. 8, which serves students in prekindergarten through 5th grade, there is a parent coordinator employed by the Children's Aid Society, an organization that provides services to underserved children in New York City in a variety of settings. The main jobs of the parent coordinator are to help the school create a welcoming atmosphere and to identify, engage, and groom parent leaders.
At P.S. 8 and other schools served by the Children's Aid Society, the room used by the parent group is designated as the family room. Staffed by the parent coordinator, the space serves as an important meeting place for parents, school staff, and other community members year round-throughout the day and evening. Once the room is secured, one of the first actions is to ensure that the room provides a pleasant atmosphere and is set up in family-friendly manner. Some schools report as many as 800 visits to their family rooms per month. The space provides a home base for parent group leaders and the parent coordinator as they work toward the common goal of involving parents.
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