Contact: Steven Wasko at 313-873-4542, Cell: 313-212-5636, steven.wasko@detroitk12.org or Jennifer Mrozowski at 313-873-8401, Cell: 313-401-9018, jennifer.mrozowski@detroitk12.org
Detroit Public Schools is launching “Parent and Community Engagement 2.0,” a plan to increase parent involvement by opening seven new school-based parent resource centers, holding ongoing training camps that focus on parenting and parenting skills and more.
The Title I initiative, which has been developed with input from parents and guardians, community leaders and the Detroit Parent Network, aims to involve many more parents and guardians in their children’s learning by shifting the focus of parent involvement operations to collaborative support and community interaction, which highlights the District’s objective toward collective responsibility to achieve student achievement.
A Saturday forum for parent leaders from each of the district’s 172 schools is planned for March 6 to generate additional ideas for parental involvement initiatives.
“Detroit Public Schools recognizes the necessity of collaborative efforts to surmount the challenges facing its schools and the District as a system, and we know that parents are the most important element in schools that can impact school improvement and academic achievement,” said Lindasusan Softley, Program Supervisor of Parental Involvement for Detroit Public Schools.
“The new Parent and Community Engagement 2.0 plan will stress that parents must be responsible and actively-engaged in their children’s learning while accepting authority as parents and guardians that they must audaciously participate in the school community to reach our common goal of educational achievement for our students,” Dr. Softley said.
Detroit Public Schools, through the new partnership with Detroit Parent Network, will open seven parent network centers that will be comfortable spaces for parents and guardians to meet. The in-school centers, to be geographically placed across the city, will provide training and resources to parents of DPS students, helping them be involved in their children’s education.
The centers are designed to involve, connect and empower parents to help children reach academic success and serve as a hub for training and resources.
Some planned services at the centers include coffee talks on parent engagement, expert-led workshops, childcare, GED support, job training, support groups, MEAP support, uniform and coat drives, book clubs, sessions on Title I programs and more. It is hoped that the
centers will have evening and weekend hours.
The district will also hold two-day “Team Leader” training camps on strategies to increase parental involvement, develop effective outreach methods to parents and build support teams within schools and communities.
Dates for those are: Mar. 11-12, Mar. 17-18, Mar. 22-23, Apr. 5-6, Apr. 7-8 and Apr. 9-10. Locations will be confirmed in early March. There will also be ongoing training sessions in schools throughout the year.
The Saturday session with parent leaders will be held March 6 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Renaissance High School, 6565 W. Outer Dr. The session, a Title I Initiative on Parenting with a Purpose, is a forum geared toward parent organization officers.
“We’re very excited about this opportunity to expand our services and to help even more parents in the district succeed in helping their kids get the best education possible,” said Sharlonda Buckman, Executive Director of the Detroit Parent Network. DPN is an independent nonprofit organization that has been conducting parenting trainings and workshops in Detroit communities for seven years.
The performance-based contract with Detroit Parent Network will be based on outcomes and the organization’s ability to increase and track parental and community engagement.
