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“I have really enjoyed PPS's training and what I have learned I can apply to my job. It helps me understand how to work effectively with parents. ”
-PPS PEP Graduate
Joann Mickens
In Joann's notes

Delayed School Return Mandated for Some…Not All

The return to school for the 2020-21 school year has not been business as usual for educators around the nation.  Gone are the days of cheerful conversations, spirited welcome back rallies, and keynote addresses provided by district superintendents. This year’s return for educators is unprecedented and extremely stressful for all parties involved in the decision-making process.  As the news updates pour in regarding COVID-19 and as mandates are being established by the day or hour, public school leaders find themselves pondering many difficult questions. However, educating students is essential, and these leaders are working long days and even nights trying…
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Joann Mickens
In Public School Proud

A Letter to Education Leaders and Policymakers

Download English Version Download Spanish Version In collaboration with the undersigned organizations representing over a million families across the country, we as Parent Leaders, are raising our collective voice for healthy, equitable, and quality education options for our children in this upcoming school year. We proclaim that our wisdom and experience is essential and must be included in conversations and decisions to reopen/restart schools in the midst of COVID-19. As national, state and local education leaders and policymakers offer plans for reopening schools it is critical that Parent Leaders, with and on behalf of their children, are at the table as co-decision…
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Joann Mickens
In Joann's notes

School Resources or School Resource Officers

The year 2020 has forced many Americans to reflect on equity in our country especially as it relates to law enforcement. Current times can easily be compared with the Civil Rights Movement, which began in the 1940s and continued into the 1960s. The unrest of that time culminated with then President Johnson signing into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Fast forward fifty-six years and the cries of the people can be heard yet again. This time the outcry concerns the treatment of minorities as it relates to law enforcement officers. The senseless killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota…
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Joann Mickens
In Joann's notes

Combatting Summer Slide in the Midst of a Pandemic

Welcome to online learning… Discussion board posts due in multiple classes; Paper packets filled with work from multiple teachers; No physical interaction with peers; No teacher physically present to assist or clarify misconceptions; “Are we using Zoom or Google Meets for this lesson today?” This is learning now. This has become the new normal. A Bright Screen The only tangible resource for learning this spring that students have had access to---in equitable situations---has been a lonely electronic device with a bright screen that details how caught up or far behind they have been in all classes. This was online learning…
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Joann Mickens
In Chapter Work

Representing Your Views During this Important Time

This is a rare and difficult time for everyone in our State, including families of children in our public schools, educators, healthcare providers, and other essential workers. Mahalo to all the family members and others providing important services. Your Parents for Public Schools of Hawai‘i board is concerned about our Hawai‘i families and how many are struggling to care for the physical and emotional health and learning needs of their children. We would like your help to determine our PPS Hawai‘i requests of our Hawai‘i public schools. We are conducting a survey to gather parent views. After considering the first round…
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Joann Mickens
In Chapter Work

Family Needs Assessment and Resources for San Francisco Families

PS-SF’s outreach team has spent the past two weeks calling to check in with families to see how they are doing during this time. Of the families we have spoken with, most are struggling to balance childcare and work, and to understand and implement distance learning with their children. Many have needs related to food, financial assistance, internet access and housing. We have been working one-on-one to connect families with resources. For a list of resources available, visit the chapter website. Extending the Conversation: Supporting Social & Emotional Learning During COVID-19 The chapter is also continuing a conversation that began…
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Joann Mickens
In Chapter Work

Still Engaging…Differently

Pitt-County
In our Parent Engagement Program, we talk a lot about the difference in involvement and engagement. Both are great ways to connect with our children’s schools. Involvement entails doing things for the schools…like delivering orange juice for a monthly teacher breakfast. Engagement involves doing things with the schools…like chaperoning a field trip or reading to a class of students.Both involvement and engagement look a bit different right now, but both are still happening in full force. The community has donated diapers, food, household items, and more, all forms of involvement. Parents have attended teacher conferences, sat with their children to…
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Joann Mickens
In Joann's notes

Parents for Public Schools in New Book About Parent Leadership Impact

PPS  authored a chapter in the 2019 book, The Ripple Effect in Action: What 7 Parent Leadership Programs Learned from Participatory Evaluation. The project was coordinated by New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools.   Methods A team of Parents for Public Schools parent leaders and staff joined with parent leadership organizations nationwide to form the Parent Leadership Evaluation Network (PLEN). PLEN members received extensive training and coaching from Dialogues in Action in a participatory, qualitative evaluation process designed to elicit evidence of transformative impacts. Evaluation questions included: What kind and quality of…
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Joann Mickens
In Chapter Work

Chicago Regional Meeting “Eye Opening”

PPS leaders attending the PPS regional meeting in Chicago, IL on September 28 expressed appreciation for the opportunity to be encouraged and inspired in their efforts at home. At least one participant described the meeting as an “eye opening experience.” The theme, “Strengthening Our Network,” set the tone for major agenda items including Fundraising approaches, roundtable discussions about Diversity, Equity and Charter Schools, and insight about PPS’ new Strategic Plan. “I am so thankful for our donors who believe PPS makes an important difference in the education environment of our public school students and have given money to this organization…
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Joann Mickens
In Joann's notes

The 2020 Census: An Undercount Means Communities Miss Out on Money

The country is gearing up for the 2020 Census, set to begin April 1, 2020. For the first time, those responding to the Census will have the option of completing an online questionnaire. Recognizing that the online questionnaire will not be the best option for many, Census officials are geared up to use paper ballots and door-to-door canvassing as second and third options. The Census is a cornerstone of our American republic. James Madison argued vehemently in favor of including the census—known as the enumeration—in the United States Constitution. He meant for the official count of the population to be…
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