Two years ago, DC Public Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey had a vision: He would include parent resource centers in the Master Education Plan and ask for $5 million in funding to get them rolling, based on a similar model in place in Boston. It was a good idea. After all, most of the research shows that getting parents involved in their child’s education has real impact on a child’s learning. “Parent and community involvement is crucial to school improvement and to the success of student achievement,” says Erika Landberg, executive director for DC VOICE an education advocacy nonprofit.

Further, the centers could provide a place for parents themselves, especially in underserved wards, to pick up some additional training; to learn how to be better parents, get job skills and further their own education; or simply to have a night out with other parents.

The money was allocated, and the planning began in 2005. The Institute for Responsive Education was contracted to study the needs of communities and to come up with a plan. Listening sessions were held with parents in multiple languages, and the IRE wrote up a snazzy report full of parent-based recommendations and timelines. The DC Education Compact, a local education advocacy organization, was chosen as a “fiscal agent” of the initiative, responsible for paying out for different pieces of the project from funds granted by the Fannie Mae Foundation to the tune of $350,000; DCEC was also contracted to keep things moving with DCPS.

Two years passed, however, and the parent centers’ opening, slated for fall of 2006, came and went. Parents continued to meet in local communities, and an interim steering committee of dedicated parents worked diligently with DCPS and DCEC to keep things moving.

So why the long delay?

With two centers tentatively open now at Shadd Elementary in Ward 7 and McGogney Elementary in Ward 8, what can parents expect in terms of services in the short term, and will they be fully functioning before next school year? How will budget considerations and the proposed mayoral consolidation of the school system impact the centers? What are the opportunities to get involved?

The Value of Parent Centers East of the River
Everyone agrees that DCPS centers will serve an important purpose in Wards 7 and 8. The idea behind the parent resource centers is to give families a place to go to deal with the issues that relate to their child’s education, and information on how to navigate the school system and how to improve their own skills as parents. The local planning teams have been incorporating input from local parents into their planning.

At the Ward 8 center, parents decided to develop a “Student Bill of Rights” for all parents so they could be informed about school policies. Denita Long, a parent and outreach coordinator for the center, says, “I had worked at Ballou [High School], and oftentimes children were suspended for a Level 1 infraction in September when school is just beginning, and [the student] got 30 days off the bat. That’s way too many days…but parents didn’t know, so they kind of just went along with it.”

“We have a high illiteracy rate in Ward 8 and in the city,” says Absalom Jordan, another parent who has been involved with the Ward 8 local planning team. “For a parent to assist a child in doing homework, a parent may need to obtain skills and education themselves,” he adds. Offering GED programs and other adult training are among the plans for the centers.

Parents and community members in Ward 7 also have a sense that the Parent Resource Centers could provide relevant programming. Ideas were floated at a recent open meeting: parents and center staff talked about possibilities ranging from adult literacy, to contracting with a telemarketing company so that parents could drop into the center to earn extra income, to providing trainings on how to build a PTA in a particular school. Having facilities like computers available for parents to check e-mail, sponsoring a movie night or some other social activity, and having access to quality childcare at the centers were also discussed as potential programs in addition to trainings on parenting and communication skills.

Consensus Building, Confusion and Delay
Though the ideas are flowing at the centers, some parents and advocates involved in the process are frustrated that their suggestions have yet to come to fruition. Some parents fear that the centers have lost ground with community members by continuing the delay. One parent close to the process says that part of the delay was due to a struggle internal to the DCEC. “They didn’t have a lot of things in order,” says the parent who wished to remain anonymous. “DCEC should never been the fiscal sponsor.”

According to the source, DCEC was not properly established as a 501c(3) (designated nonprofit status) and was therefore not able to disburse the funds or properly work toward bringing the centers into existence.

Donna Power Stowe, executive director for the DCEC, says the argument is untrue, claiming that DCEC has never had any organizational obstacles that would prevent them from performing their duties as a fiscal sponsor. Although she recently replaced the former executive director (she has only been in the position for a month), Stowe says that from what she understands, the delays were caused by communication difficulties between parents and DCPS; it was a complicated relationship that took time to build. Michelle Walker, chief of strategic planning for DCPS agrees. “This model, with this kind of parent engagement was a substantial effort,” she says. “The effort was parent led from the beginning, it was a . . . grassroots effort and it definitely takes longer.”

In addition, many parents wanted the new centers to be housed outside of the schools – which seems to have caused a delay in deciding on space. “One of the ideas…that many parents expressed was the feeling of being disaffected from education; many felt unrepresented and underrepresented at the schools; [the parent] may have had bad school experiences themselves, and many parents really wanted to have regional centers not in a school building, many of us thought that was a good idea,” says Erika Landberg. As a result the centers have been housed at schools that will be part of the “rightsizing” effort under the superintendent to take advantage of schools like Shadd which will eventually become “swing” space as more of a neutral ground not attached to any one school.

Yet whatever the challenges are in building consensus with parents after a long history of mistrust with DCPS, one can’t help but notice that the bureaucratic challenges with the school system may be getting in the way. Neither of the facilities has any furniture or office equipment for the centers, though DCEC says the furniture has been ordered; the Ward 8 center has decided to get a donation of computer equipment for the interim. The air conditioning was broken at McGogney as of May 31, and it wasn’t until a month ago that DCEC hired outreach workers and a project manager.

School Board Member William Lockridge, representing Wards 7 and 8, expressed his frustration with the lagging DCPS efforts at a recent meeting with Ward 8 parents on May 31 and made a commitment to take specific requests to each department within the school system. “We want things to move swiftly now because of the need,” Lockridge said. “The administration is doing all they can to address the operation of certain aspects of the centers, but the need is great and we need to get more involved.”

Still, those who are invested are not discouraged. “This is a sincere effort, the school system is committed to it; some are afraid that they will get involved and have tried and say that the parents failed,” Absalom Jordan says, adding, “[There is a feeling that] they’re just trying to use us, but this is a new approach.”

What’s Happening Now
With two centers now open and staffed with outreach workers, the possibility for more regular participation to help get the centers rolling or simply to give input is now a reality. “The most important thing is that the centers be parent-driven and parent-run,” said project manager Carol Joyner at a recent Ward 7 meeting.

Regular meetings are held on Thursdays at the Ward 8 center, and an open house celebration is tentatively planned for this month.

Ward 7 has held periodic meetings to solicit further ideas about how the planning should take place throughout the summer. At a recent meeting, parents decided that doing specific outreach to targeted schools in the ward would draw in more parents who might like to be involved on a regular basis. Of the many ideas discussed at the meeting, Joyner says, “These ideas will be defined over time,” and allow for plenty of brainstorming.

Both centers are in the midst of establishing a local planning team by holding elections;  and discussion of hiring a few contract workers to help get the centers running over the summer is part of the broad timeframe for getting the centers up and running by September. Members of the local planning team will be both parents and community members, and a few of those members will eventually be elected to a permanent steering committee that will oversee the management of the parent resource centers citywide.

Future Uncertainties: Budget and Governance
“We want to act fast, because our time on the school board is running out,” says Lockridge of his desire to get a budget locked in for the Parent Resource Centers. Because of the proposed consolidation of the school system under the mayor, Lockridge feels that advocacy for the centers must be made a priority.

Budget realities are also creating a certain amount of pressure to make decisions about the centers. An appropriation of approximately $1.8 million was made for the Parent Resource Centers in the fiscal year 2006 budget, and if the centers don’t use that money (or budget it as pre-designated), it could be lost at the start of the next fiscal year in September. It’s possible that the council could re-appropriate the funds, but parents and Lockridge are working to get a budget to Dr. Janey this summer for use of the funds.

Time to Get Involved
Though there may be bumps in the road to creating parent-driven resource centers for the residents of the District, it’s clear that dedicated parents and residents are ready to see the ideas through – and if parents are willing to stop by and give their two cents, it seems that in time they will be richly rewarded.

For the Ward 8 Parent Resource Center, contact outreach coordinator Denita Long at 202-365-4130.