Experts point to parents' lack of involvement as one reason why U.S. schools don't live up to expectations. One group in Manchester is out to change that, at least within the borders of the Queen City. NHPR's Trish Anderton reports.
ON A RAINY WEEKNIGHT, KATHY STAUB DISTRIBUTES LITTLE PILES OF PAPER TO EIGHT MEN AND WOMEN GATHERED IN THE HILLSIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARY.
003 48 I?m gonna hand this out and let people see it.
THE DOCUMENTS ARE PRETTY SERIOUS STUFF ? THINGS LIKE NEXT YEAR?S PROPOSED SCHOOL REPAIR BUDGET, AND THE CANDIDATE PROFILE THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS DRAWN UP IN ITS SEARCH FOR A NEW SUPERINTENDENT. TONIGHT THE MANCHESTER COALITION FOR QUALITY EDUCATION OR MCQE, HAS GATHERED TO DRAW UP ITS OWN CANDIDATE PROFILE.
004 50 now that we know what the school board wants in a superintendent, we can fill in the blanks and figure out what we want in a SUPER intendent for our kids ?. Notice the emphasis on super ?. Cuz that?s what our kids deserve, right?
FOR AN HOUR THE MEMBERS BAT AROUND WHAT THEY?D LIKE TO SEE IN THEIR NEXT SCHOOL LEADER -- QUALITIES LIKE CHILD-ORIENTED, COMMITTED TO PARENT INVOLVEMENT, AND OPEN TO NEW IDEAS. STAUB WRITES EVERYTHING DOWN. LATER SHE?LL CONDENSE IT INTO A COHERENT SET OF POINTS AND GIVE IT TO THE SCHOOL BOARD. THEN SHE?LL HAVE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP GO TO THE NEXT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AND REINFORCE THE MESSAGE.
We only have three minutes at the school bd meeting but if you do part of it and you do part and you do part and I do part, if we get five people to do part of it, we get fifteen minutes! and then they?d all go nuts.
THAT STRATEGY IS TYPICAL OF MCQE?S DOGGED STYLE. STAUB ONCE CORNERED MAYOR BOB BAINES IN AN ALLEY TO LOBBY HIM. SHE BOASTS THAT AT ONE ALDERMEN MEETING, SO MANY OF HER MEMBERS STOOD UP TO TALK THAT THE ALDERMEN FINALLY BEGGED THEM TO STOP. DAVID SCANNELL, ASSISTANT TO MAYOR BOB BAINES, SAYS PERSISTENCE IS MCQE?S HALLMARK.
The secret to their success is people realize they?re bound and determined to improve ed in manch and they?re not going away. They seem to have that sustainability that might not have been attached to other groups advocating for schools.
STAUB STARTED MCQE JUST OVER A YEAR AGO AS PRESIDENT OF HER LOCAL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION. SHE SAYS WHEN SHE BEGAN TALKING TO OTHER PTA HEADS, THEY REALIZED THEY COULD GET MORE DONE IF THEY WORKED TOGETHER.
009 120 we needed to be a coalition of parent grps form all those schools, spkg with one voice, with one thing in mind: better schools for our kids.
MCQE WELCOMES BOTH PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. ITS PRIORITIES INCLUDE REPAIRING SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND MAKING THE EDUCATION SYSTEM MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PARENTS. STAUB SAYS THE GROUP HAS HAD A COUPLE OF EARLY VICTORIES, INCLUDING PERSUADING THE ALDERMEN TO SET ASIDE MORE MONEY FOR LEAKY ROOF REPAIRS. SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER FRANCOISE ELISE AGREES, MCQE HAS CAUGHT THE EARS OF IMPORTANT PEOPLE.
they?ve come before bd and presented ideas and I know the mayor and sch bd has called on them to participate in special committees they?ve been working on.
MCQE HAS GOTTEN THE ATTENTION OF NEWSPAPERS, TOO; THEY?RE REGULARLY QUOTED IN THE LOCAL PRESS. THEY?VE ALSO STUMBLED ON OCCASION. LIKE SCHEDULING A CANDIDATE?S FORUM THE SAME NIGHT AS AN ALDERMEN?S MEETING, WHEN MANY CANDIDATES COULDN?T COME. STAUB SAYS THOSE ARE THE MISTAKES NEW ORGANIZATIONS MAKE. BUT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER KATHERINE LABANARIS FEELS THE GROUP NEEDS TO WORK ON ITS ELECTIONEERING SKILLS.
Perhaps the best thing would be for them to lobby during the elections, you know check each candidate out to see who really supports education and then support that person? I think only at the ballot box can they really be effective.
BUT STAUB IS RELUCTANT TO INVEST A LOT OF ENERGY IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS. SHE?S MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT?S HAPPENING IN CLASSROOMS. WHAT SHE REALLY WANTS TO DO, SHE SAYS, IS CHANGE THE SCHOOLS SO THAT PARENTS BECOME FULL PARTNERS IN EDUCATION.
20 200 // A lot of people look at it as parents getting involved with the system as it is, and that?s very hard. But if the system changed just a litle bit to engage parents, students would do so much better.
AMONG OTHER THINGS, STAUB WOULD LIKE TO SEE TEACHERS GET TRAINING IN HOW TO WORK WITH PARENTS. SHE?D ALSO LOVE TO ESTABLISH SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCILS IN WHICH ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHERS, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WOULD HELP RUN THEIR LOCAL SCHOOL. STAUB HOPES SOMEODAY PARENTS WON?T HAVE TO WORK AS HARD AS HER GROUP DOES TO BE HEARD. FOR NHPR I?M
