Related Link: Recent Accomplishments

PARENT EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOPS IN 2007

In many cases parents are confused by their school’s communications about options their children may have under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law - and bitter when some of those options prove to be a mirage. Busy parents are frequently unaware of the free tutoring options (Supplemental Education Services, or "SES") provided by NCLB, while the paucity of slots available for students to transfer from failing to better-performing schools renders the "right" to such transfers meaningless.

Based on the findings in “It Takes A Parent”, we partnered in 2007 with the CT NAACP, the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (“ConnCAN”), and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights to create and distribute a free guidebook entitled "How to Make Sure Your Child is Not Left Behind" (English | Spanish). The guidebook’s purpose is to better empower parents to exploit every possible advantage under the law to ensure a high-quality public school education for their children. Topics covered in this guidebook include:

• What NCLB means for Connecticut parents.
• What parents can do about teacher quality.
• How to have a voice in school improvement plans.
• How to secure Supplement Educational Services for your child.
• Tools for closing the discipline gap in our schools.
• 10 ways to get active in closing the achievement gap.

To help parents make the best possible use of this book, our coalition hosted a series of Parent Empowerment Workshops in five of Connecticut’s largest urban school districts – Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, New London and Waterbury - during the first half of 2007. Through the workshops we have educated more than 250 parents about their rights under NCLB, including free tutoring, translation, and school choice. Each workshop involved a parent training session and break-out sessions with local organizations to create action agendas for greater parental involvement.

Some immediate benefits and positive results from all five workshops include:

• While only 24% of attending parents reported having used the free tutoring option/SES option in the past, 67% reported planning to use this important option in the future;
• Parents reported a high level of involvement in their child’s school - 43% reported being present in their child’s school each week, and 21% present at least monthly;
• Most parents reported an improved understanding of their rights under NCLB, with only 19% stating at the workshop’s conclusion that they still did not know their rights; and
• 82% of attending parents stated that after the workshop they understood what role they can play at their child’s school.