What Do SE Families Want?
From CPPS:
What Do Parents Want in South end Schools?
SE Parent Leadership Project Kickoff
Tuesday, October 19th, 7pm
Mercer Middle School 1600 Columbian Way
(enter the parking lot from westbound Columbian Way)
To make our public schools in south and southeast Seattle the quality neighborhood schools we want them to be, CPPS SE parents are organizing outreach and training for parent leadership and advocacy in the Aki Kurose and Mercer Middle School feeder patterns.
This project offers opportunity for community members to share their perspectives on schooling in these neighborhoods, to tell about their own experiences and desires for their children, AND to develop a collective advocacy voice for the changes they need.
Join us on Tuesday to talk about:
a community video to tell our schools' stories
parent leadership and advocacy training to meet YOUR needs
a parents' agenda for quality neighborhood schools
Can't make the meeting but have a story to tell? Contact Andre Canty or Cris Fernandez.
To join the SE Parent Network list, contact Stephanie Jones
We hope to see you there! Together, we can advocate for the quality education our children deserve!
Comments
We shall see.
Tolley, Friday, 10/15/10.
The Programs we feel would be a good fit for Rainier Beach High School are: Law Magnet, Sports Medicine, Arts (Broadway Bound), IT (Aki President is working out the details).
Our next step is to hold a meeting sharing these programs with Orca, Aki, South Shore Parents for input.
There are a lot more schools (especially elementary) that should feed into Aki and RBHS. Shouldn't these people be contacted?
Broadway Bound has already been involved with RBHS without it being much of a draw. IT...well RBHS nixed TAF, but maybe. Law Magnet—sounds good, as does Sports medicine, but what do they entail? Are we talking special programs like at Cleveland? Isn't the District getting ready to diminish programs like Biotech at Ballard, etc.?
anothermom
It seems to me that prospective parents talking to parents who currently have kids attending, or bound for, RB & Aki will be the best referral source and best advertising for those schools in the coming years. If they are happy and satisfied, others will follow.
The RB & Aki communities, and the rest of Seattle, for that matter, have heard promises, promises, promises for years, along with some honest good faith efforts, and some not. But nothing has really worked, because so much is planted from outside, directed from the top-down, or delivered like a supposed crusade to "save" students and schools (SE Initiative).
I'm all for truly organic, community-based, community-relevant programs that fit and serve the community in which the schools sits. Obviously the RB community has it's own unique needs, which have been ill served by trying to turn RB into a mini-Garfield or high-tech academy. People from outside thought it sounded great, but RB folks felt overrun and pushed back because those ideas didn't serve them.
The "if we build it, they will come" method has not worked well at RB. If the PTSA's demands are truly organic and will serve the existing kids in the schools now, then I'm 100% in support of them. If this is more outsiders thinking they can "show them how it's done" we might as well pack our bags and sit this one out. We've seen this movie too many times already.
I urge people not to "sell" fancy ideas to desperate communities, but instead, to sincerely ask and try to determine what they need. Otherwise, we wind up right back where we started, after another wrong solution is applied to the wrong problems.
If it's organic, and arises from the community itself, it will work.
Its refreshing to see you and the PTSA stepping up & taking matters into your own hands. Keep up the good work.
You go! Good for you on your advocacy and outreach from your community to the District to inform them on what you feel you need...and then working as a team w/ the feeder schools to build that strong programming draw.
And didn't realize that 85% of existing RBHS students did not select the school as first choice. Wow!
Anothermom
You can improve your neighborhood school by supporting it and choosing to be involved and work towards solving your concerns. Sending your child out of area does not guarantee them a better, safer etc. education. Check the Police reports and you will learn that the safety issues are less of an issue in the South End. (Of course you wouldn't think that watching the news). I hear you on the stay at home parent. Wouldn't that be nice. Committed and concerned parents will make an active PTA regardless of the socio economic standing. There are neighborhood Safety Meetings you can join. Check out Rainier Beach Empowerment Coalition. If you don't want to be involved in your neighborhood school then at least you can get involved in your neighborhood. Rainier Beach Empowerment Coalition may be able to get you in contact with the community group in your neighborhood that is working to make positive changes. (UNITED WE STAND! DIVIDED we continue to be under served when South End parents wake up and take a stand; the mistreatment from the School District will stop. Until then....
Also, studies show that income levels are important, but does that have to remain the case? We control our own destiny. The power is in our hands. We have to make time for what is important and that should include education, regardless of our income.
We will 5 programs that we are proposing be brought to Rainier Beach High School. We want to hear from South End Family and Community Members. This is an opportunity for you to have a voice in your neighborhood school.
Please help us spread the word! Nov 10, 6:30pm-8pm RBHS PAC