Parents for Public Schools works to bring parents into an advocacy position concerning their children’s education. Nationwide research such as the Henderson/Mapp report supports what we have known for many years –that children and schools improve when parents are more involved at all levels. Parents for Public Schools has launched a statewide program in Mississippi called Schoolhouse to Statehouse. We are building a powerful parent organization that engages participants and partners with other local, regional, and statewide organizations around systemic educational issues that impact student performance. Several parent coordinators work around the state, often with very vulnerable Mississippi families and schools. Local, grassroots advocacy is done by PPS, and statewide Legislative advocacy is done by The Parents Campaign.

One of our coordinators, Victoria, tells her story here. This is not a story about teachers who don’t want to teach kids. My experience with teachers is that the great majority of them enter teaching precisely because they do want to teach kids, each and every one. But her story illustrates the need to train parents to have a voice in their children’s education. Many parents have never had anyone explain how schools work and what their rights are in their children’s schools. There are many other “Victorias” out there, and we hope that our work lifts them up, allows them find their voice, and helps to provide better educational opportunities for their children and for all children.

Here’s what Victoria has to say:

When my son was first or second grade we were experiencing long hours of homework and review. My husband and I thought that he had a learning disability because he didn’t seem to be getting it all. He had great reading and comprehension skills for his grade level, but we couldn’t figure out what was going on. So, we kept trying to fix it with working with him each night. The last thing that I wanted to do was to accuse the teacher of anything.

I worked in a neighboring school district; I had witnessed so many parents who would literally curse out the teachers, yell at them, etc. Usually, they never considered that the problem could have been their child. Having this experience, I never really considered that it was a teacher issue.

Finally, I contacted the teacher, and she said that my son was very quiet, and recommended that he be tested for a learning disability. I told her very calmly that I knew that he didn’t have a learning disability. To prove it, we had him tested. He did not have a learning disability. The meeting did not yield the kind of results that truly addressed our situation. This particularly evening, my husband and I sat our son down to ask again…what is the problem? He then told us that he didn’t want to ask questions because white people were smarter than black people. We asked him where he got that. He said from the other children in his class. We coached him to understand that being smart had nothing to do with the color of his skin.

Then, I scheduled a second meeting. This time the teacher’s response was that she just couldn’t teach black kids. I was shocked because I couldn’t believe what she had just said. I left the meeting and went directly to the principal. I can remember that the principal truly listened. I do not remember what was communicated to the teacher by the principal. The principal knew where I worked at the time, and apologized to me that this was not a reflection of the district.

I felt very powerless as a parent at that time. I didn’t know what my rights were. Here are some questions I struggled with:

• Should I contact the NAACP? I didn’t know what to do, but something more needed to be done. There would be more African-American students who would come through this lady’s class.
• Will they be discriminated against because of the color of their skin? I didn’t know my rights. I didn’t know other parents who may have experienced this same thing.

As a result of feeling powerless, we eventually took our son out of the public schools, and we home schooled him for two years. Eventually, we put him back in to try it again.

Today, I know more than I ever have as it relates to public education. Now, I know that I am an owner in public schools. Through Parents for Public Schools, I have developed leadership skills and knowledge of how public schools work; how to partner with my local school district and effectively be engaged to impact student achievement and improve public education. For every parent who feels powerless, my mission is to give you the tools and resources to effectively partner with your school district. Don’t quit. You have a voice; your voice can be facilitated in a way that improves your school district and all the students who attend.