Liveblogging the City Council hearing: Council members react

Posted by Philissa at 12:21 PM

Council Member Lew Fidler nailed the central parent engagement issue this morning when he pointed out about Guerrier, members of the Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy staff, and parent coordinators, "There is a huge fatal flaw. Each is hired and answerable to the DOE, not parents. ... You [Guerrier] felt the need to defend the rigid position of the DOE, not advocate for parents, and that's a problem." Fidler got applause for this statement, and he deserved it.

While being questioned by council members, Guerrier gave a few more details of the precise role parent bodies will play this year. They will help decide "how school closures happen" and where charter schools and new schools are sited based on community needs. She agreed with Council Member Vallone's characterization of those discussions in the past as "a dog and pony show."

Guerrier wants to train School Leadership Teams and help Parent Associations do better outreach to get more parents involved. Guerrier also revealed that one reason the DOE's new parent engagement website is not up yet is that developers are working on allowing parent associations to disseminate audio and video of their meetings online. In general, she said, parents should be making the decisions "that impact students directly."

Coming up: testimony from community leaders, including Advocates for Children's Kim Sweet

Liveblogging the City Council hearing: Martine Guerrier

Posted by Philissa at 10:45 AM

Martine Guerrier's up and she sounds sincere. She says was concerned she would have to give up her role as a parent advocate when she took on her position as chief family engagement officer, but that hasn't been true. Instead, she says, she's convinced of the "sincerity on the part of the administration to change the tone" of interaction with parents. Of course, she has to say things are getting better, but her willingness to admit the flaws of the past — untimely and poorly explained information, parents having to travel to regional offices to get help, etc. — is refreshing and gives me hope that these flaws will be remediated.

Guerrier's talking about forging a "broader definition of parent engagement that goes beyond training and supporting parent coordinators." She's going to be holding parent nights all year to take discussion about schools to parents' homes, neighborhoods, and community organizations. Public forums will also be conducted in foreign languages.

The Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy has a broad range of responsibilities: training and overseeing parent coordinators, engaging Community Education Councils, managing translation and interpretation unit, making sure all schools have a functioning School Leadership Team (a fact that will factor into principals' grades — but by how much, I don't know).

Guerrier says the "relationship between schools and families is a key determinant in whether kids can take advantage" of resources provided by schools. Parents want more communication of academic progress -- short conferences not enough and some families only find out about kids' progress when there isn't any. That's where OFEA will collaborate with the office of accountability.

Next up: questions. Here's a taste:

Jackson: What is your opinion on parents? Are they full partners in their kids education?
Guerrier: Yes.

2007-08 the year of parent engagement?

Posted by Philissa at 3:03 PM

We can hope so. If recent experience with the DOE is any guide, though, it's more likely to be merely the week of parent engagement.

Today, Chancellor Klein, along with Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy CEO Martine Guerrier, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Alonta Wrighton, principal of PS 11 in Brooklyn, held a feel-good press event to announce the DOE's newest family engagement efforts. The highlights: the creation of District Family Advocates to replace the old Parent Support Officers; Guerrier's office's "year-long, citywide public information campaign," soon to be found on subways and buses; expansion of access to translation services; and better support for the Community Education Councils.

I hope these much-needed improvements make a difference for parents who have felt for years that the DOE doesn't adequately address their questions and concerns. But how will the DOE make sure that these engagement efforts pay off? Remember, as the press release points out, "principals will be evaluated in part based on the effectiveness of their School Leadership Teams, half of which is comprised of parents."

Oversight is a central issue at two meetings tomorrow focusing on the DOE's parent engagement initiatives. The City Council's education committee is holding a hearing on the initiatives starting at 10 a.m. (Map) and the Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council also has parent engagement on the agenda for its 10 a.m. meeting in Tweed, where Guerrier and Klein are expected to appear (Map). We hear there may also be some kind of press event on the steps of City Hall at 11 a.m. It looks like it will be a busy morning for the DOE's parent engagement gurus -- we'll let you know what we find out from those meetings, but if you are able to go, please let us know your take as well!

Parents "Ask Martine" about school changes

Posted by Insideschools Staff at 9:50 AM

Parents raised questions about special education, middle school admissions, parent coordinators, and changes planned for the new school year at the first of a series of “Ask Martine and Friends” meetings with the Department of Education’s chief parent officer, Martine Guerrier. Some 200 parents attended the Saturday session at Brooklyn Tech High School led by Guerrier and other Department of Education officials who answered questions submitted by audience members.

Although some questions were met with rather short and unsatisfactory answers, Guerrier and her colleagues did announce new information about the upcoming reorganization that parents were eager to hear, and said that additional questions would be answered on the website.

Read more...

SATURDAY: Martine Guerrier public Q&A session

Posted by Philissa at 3:19 PM

If you're like us, you have a few questions about what the school system will look like -- and how it will work, or not work -- after June 30. Tomorrow morning you have an opportunity to ask those questions of Martine Guerrier, the new CEO for parent engagement, and several other DOE officials at "Ask Martine and Friends," a public meeting at Brooklyn Tech High School. The event runs 11 a.m.-3 p.m., but if you get there early, you can have brunch starting at 10 a.m. Lunch will also be provided. Map