1.
NYCpublic.org’s
Parent
Engagement
Lab:
a
parent-‐centered
process
to
yield
mul8ple
ideas
for
genuine
parent
engagement
in
NYC
schools
November
2013
2.
NYCpublic.org
used
the
following
slideshow
as
part
of
its
Talking
Transi+on
presenta8on
(11/21/13).
***
A
project
of
the
Fund
for
the
City
of
New
York,
NYCpublic
seeks
to
connect
parents:
!
to
the
issues
they
care
about,
!
to
other
parents
who
share
their
concerns,
!
to
ways
of
taking
ac8on,
!
and
to
resources
and
organiza8ons
that
can
make
their
ac8ons
even
more
powerful.
3. Table
of
Contents
5-‐8
Overview
9
Why
a
Parent
Engagement
Lab?
10-‐19
The
PEL
Process:
Step-‐by-‐Step
18-‐20
Research
Basis
and
Reac8on
22-‐53
Compendium
of
Ideas
Generated
at
the
PEL
54-‐57
About
NYCpublic.org
3
4.
“The
idea
was
that
if
you
give
parents
be9er
results,
be9er
service
—
311
sorts
of
things
—
and
more
choice,
then
you
don’t
need
poli+cs,
they
don’t
need
par+cipa+on,
they
don’t
need
to
be
involved
because
they’ll
get
what
they
want
as
a
consumer,”
Jim
Liebman
[former
Chief
of
Accountability,
NYCDOE]
said.
“And
I
think
that’s
true
for
some
things,
but
it
turns
out
that
public
educa+on
is
something
that
parents
really,
deeply
want
to
be
involved
in.”
-‐-‐
Gotham
Schools,
11/20/13
4
5.
5
6.
What
might
“real”
parent
engagement
look
like
in
NYC’s
public
schools?
7. 4
mayoral
parents
from
all
boroughs
campaigns
sent
candidates
or
abended
staff
parents
from
all
boroughs
abended
160
“solu8ons”
were
generated
160
4
mayoral
campaigns
sent
candidates
or
“solu8ons”
were
staff
generated
7
8. Three
Goals
of
the
Day
! Re-‐envision
parent
engagement
in
NYC
public
schools
! Model
a
new
process
for
parent
engagement
! Present
parents’
solu8ons
to
mayoral
candidates
8
9. Why
a
Parent
Engagement
Lab?
! The
Parent
Engagement
Lab
is
NYCpublic’s
version
of
the
charrebe.
! The
charrebe,
a
structured
brainstorming
protocol
with
roots
in
architecture,
invites
full
par8cipa8on
and
collabora8on
between
diverse
stakeholders.
! Parent
Engagement
Labs
support
parents
as
they
move
from
iden8fying
challenges
to
building
solu8ons
(together).
9
10. Step
1:
A
panel
of
experts
spoke
to
par8cipants
about
the
current
state
of
parent
engagement
in
NYC
and
beyond.
Lisa
Donlan,
CEC
1
President
Fran
Huckaby,
Professor
of
Educa8on
at
TCU
How
has
mayoral
control
impacted
parents’
access
to
power
and
input
into
decision
making?
NYC SCHOOL
GOVERNANCE
How
are
parents
organizing
&
engaging
across
the
country
to
improve
schools?
MAYOR
parent, teacher and community
involvement structure
Chancellor
PEP
Panel on
Educational Policy
Children
DOE
Department Of
Education
CITYWIDE
DFACE
Division of Family And
Community Engagement
COMMUNITY
UFT DR
UFT District Rep
SCHOOL
CPAC
Chancellor’s Parent
Advisory Council
UFT Chapter
Leader
CCELL
Citywide Council English
Launguage Learners
Presidents Council
DLT
District Leadership Team
CCSE
Citywide Council on
Special Education
CCHS
Citywide Council on
High Schools
CDS
Community District
Superintendent
CDEC
Community District
Education Council
DFA
District Family
Advocate
Title One
DPAC
Principal
Parent (Teacher)
Association
SLT
School Leadership Team
Title One
PAC
PC
Parent Coordinator
Kim
Sweet,
Execu8ve
Director
of
Advocates
for
Under
mayoral
control
law,
what
powers
are
legally
accorded
to
parents?
10
11. Step
2:
In
breakout
groups,
par8cipants
iden8fied
the
impacts
of
the
current
parent-‐engagement
model.
200
post-‐its
captured
over
200
“impacts.”
11
12. Par8cipants
noted
impacts
anywhere
that
parents
interact
with
the
school
system.
! have
in-‐depth
lcevel
(e.g.,
language
btarriers
make
rogress,
o
r
to
at
the
school
onversa8ons
about
heir
child’s
p it
hard
t o
par8cipate
in
the
PTA)
! at
the
district
level
(e.g.,
parents
are
not
consulted
for
key
district
decisions
like
what
kinds
of
new
schools
are
needed
or
where
to
site
them)
! at
the
central
level
(e.g.,
parents
are
seen
as
a
group
to
be
managed
and
policies
are
rolled
out
without
parents’
input)
12
13. Step
3:
Groups
brainstormed
solu8ons
that
addressed
the
challenges
iden8fied
in
the
first
session
and
suggested
ways
forward
for
the
next
mayor.
13
14. Some
of
the
ideas
that
emerged
The
mayor
could
adopt
the
following
approaches
to
his
new
job:
! See
himself
as
working
in
service
of
the
schools
and
not
as
someone
who
must
control
them;
! Create
policies
that
come
from
a
variety
of
stakeholders,
educators,
parents,
administrators,
community
members,
and
experts
in
the
field;
! Appoint
an
educator
to
the
posi8on
of
Chancellor.
14
15. Step
4:
Breakout
groups
each
selected
one
idea
to
flesh
out
and
worked
with
a
graphic
designer
to
illustrate
and
clarify
their
idea.
15
16. Step
5:
Breakout
groups
present
“big
ideas”
to
mayoral
candidates
or
their
representa8ves.
16
17. Step
6:
Every
post-‐it
and
drawing
was
collected.
Documenta8on
of
parents’
collabora8on
ensures
con8nued
life
for
their
ideas.
17
18.
There
is
a
research-‐base
for
this
method
of
engagement.
“…what
is
needed
to
improve
schools
is
an
ac+ve
ci+zenry,
invested
in
solving
educa+onal
problems
through
public
delibera+on.”
-‐
Kenneth
Howe
and
David
Meens,
Democracy
LeJ
Behind,
2012
18
19. The
feedback
on
the
process
was
very
posi8ve,
as
well.
“This
was
a
really
authen+c
process
where
ideas
and
input
came
from
the
ground
up
from
parents
who
are
out
there
every
day.
[This
is]
a
wonderful
start...and
the
type
of
dialogue
that
needs
to
happen
throughout
the
city
and
that
I
think
will
be
really
helpful
…
to
all
of
the
candidates.”
Jan
Atwell
City
Council
Educa8on
Policy
Analyst
19
20.
We
promised
that
we
would
share
the
day’s
outcomes
with
the
next
mayor.
20
21. COMPENDIUM
Answers
to
the
ques8on
“What
might
‘real’
parent
engagement
look
like
under
the
next
mayor?”
All
ideas*
generated
during
the
NYCpublic.org
Parent
Engagement
Lab
(charrebe)
December
2012
•
*These
have
been
sorted
and
categorized.
21
22. Category
1
Create
structures
that
priori8ze/
privilege
parent
engagement.
23.
! Strengthen
the
current
structure
to
meaningfully
include
parents
or
work
to
change
the
structure.
! “Accountability”
should
include
how
well
a
school
or
the
system
invites
and
listens
to
parents’
voices.
! Publish
a
“report
card”
for
parent
engagement
at
each
school
determined
by
authen8c
parent
surveys
and
input.
! Create
a
citywide
leadership
team
where
all
cons8tuents
(parents,
students,
teachers,
principals,
advocates)
weigh
in
on
policy
issues.
! Establish
regular
“town
mee8ngs”
where
the
mayor
just
listens
to
issues.
He
or
she
can
start
the
next
mee8ng
by
recoun8ng
what
he
or
she
heard
and
what
his
or
her
progress
is
on
each
issue.
! Establish
office
hours
where
reps
or
the
mayor
hears
from
parents.
23
24. ! Create
a
truly
inclusive
system
that
mandates
real
parent
and
community
input
in
decisions
at
the
school,
district,
or
city
level.
! Provide
for
(parent
involvement)
as
a
line
in
each
school’s
budget
to
pay
for
trainers
and
technical
assistance
(same
as
DYCD
and
other
agencies
that
provide
services
through
CBOs).
! Create
a
parent
feedback
system
that
is
not
abached
to
the
Progress
Report.
! Each
school
could
create
a
shared
project
with
teachers
and
parents
(this
could
be
about
any
issue
in
the
school,
like
how
to
create
less
waste
at
lunch)
with
the
goal
of
fostering
communica8on
and
collabora8on.
! Each
cabinet
member
is
given
the
task
to
meet
with
100
parents,
each
year,
to
discuss
and
debate
policies.
! Create
real/meaningful
volunteer
roles
for
parents
and
provide
training
support.
! Train
school
personnel
on
the
rights
of
children
and
parents,
respect
and
friendliness.
24
25.
Category
2
Take
steps
to
guarantee
that
parents
on
School
Leadership
Teams
(SLTs)
have
a
real
voice
in
school
level
decisions.
26.
! I mplement
the
enforcement
of
legislated
avenues
for
parent
input.
! Ensure
real
well-‐func8oning
SLTs.
! Give
SLTs
members
comprehensive
training
so
they
understand
the
poten8al
of
their
role
and
can
make
meaningful
contribu8ons.
! Principals
should
not
chair
SLTs.
! Add
evalua8on
of
power
sharing
on
SLT
to
the
Quality
Review.
! Comprehensive
Educa8on
Plans
(CEPs)
should
be
streamlined
and
re-‐evaluated,
and
should
play
a
role
in
school/principal
evalua8ons.
26
27. Category
3
Take
a
close
look
at
PTAs
across
the
city
and
find
ways
to
strengthen
them
all.
28. ! Help
PTAs
get
a
sense
of
how
well
they
are
func8oning
in
rela8on
to
other
PTAs.
! Offer
those
that
are
struggling
or
whoever
wants
it
opportuni8es
for
support.
! Ins8tute
Peer-‐to-‐Peer
exchange
between
PTAs
where
they
share:
!
Agendas
!
Outreach
!
Fundraisers
!
Newslebers
!
How
to
run
mee8ngs
! New
PTA
presidents
are
mentored
by
seasoned
PTA
presidents:
! Check
to
see
that
PTA
Presidents
Councils
are
func8oning.
! Presidents
Councils
should
let
parents
know
their
rights.
! Empower
PTAs
to
func8on
as
key
partners
in
school
community.
28
29. Category
4
Re-‐examine
the
role
of
Parent
Coordinator.
30.
! Parent
coordinators
should
not
report
to
the
principal
(conflict
of
interest).
! The
parent
coordinator’s
focus
should
be
on
uni8ng
and
suppor8ng
parents.
30
31. Category
5
Restructure
so
that
elected
bodies
(Community
Educa8on
Councils
and
the
Panel
on
Educa8onal
Policy)
act
as
checks
and
balances
for
the
Mayor/
Chancellor.
32. ! Give
Community
Educa8on
Councils
(CECs)
authen8c
authority
to
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
impact
decision
making.
Give
CECs
approval
over
co-‐loca8ons
and
opening/closing/
trunca8ng
schools.
Elect
CEC
reps
directly
by
all
parents
using
cumula8ve
vo8ng.
Empower
CECs
to
roll
call
vote
on
Panel
for
Educa8onal
Policy
(PEP)
policies.
Allow
CECs
to
create
job
descrip8ons
and
supervise,
inform,
train
and
evaluate
parent
coordinators
with
input
from
PTAs.
Re-‐make
the
PEP
so
that
parent
representa8ves
are
the
majority
and
all
members
serve
fixed
terms.
Put
parents
on
the
PEP
-‐-‐
should
be
like
the
School
Leadership
Team
(SLT),
where
#Educators=
#Parents
Change
supervision
of
Presidents
Council
to
include
PTA
execu8ve
board.
Give
PEP
appointees
independence
to
not
rubber
stamp.
!
! Give
up
mayoral
majority
on
the
PEP.
32
34. ! Let
superintendents
back
in
schools,
supervising
principals.
! Superintendent
reports
to
the
Community
Educa8on
Council
(CEC).
! Make
the
community
superintendents
the
place
where
the
buck
stops
for
policy,
budget,
and
complaints.
! Air
complaints
in
public
monthly
mee8ngs.
34
36. ! Allow
parents
to
create
a
survey
to
assess
mayoral
control
! Give
power
back
to
stakeholders
and
support
the
sunset
of
mayoral
control
! Run
schools
with
an
elected
school
board
just
as
the
districts
in
NY
state
do
36
37. Category
8
Define
a
new
role
for
City
Council
and
other
elected
officials.
38.
! Give
more
elected
power
for
checks
and
balances
(City
Council)
! Use
local
elected
officials
community-‐based
exper8se
and
invite
them
to
influence
policies
38
39. Category
9
Create
ways
for
parents
to
get
answers
and
follow
up.
40. ! Create
ombudspeople
who
can
listen
to
complaints
and
direct
parents
to
actual
solu8ons.
They
should
follow
up
(carry
a
caseload)
too.
! Make
ads
and
post
them
everywhere
in
various
languages
to
no8fy
parents
of
a
hotline
site
where
parents
can
go
with
their
problems.
! Contact
info
should
be
posted
clearly
in
each
school
office.
! Set
up
an
anonymous
hotline
where
parents
can
ask
or
tell
their
problems
without
fear
of
retribu8on.
! Require
schools
to
post:
name,
address,
phone
#
of
troubleshoo8ng
offices
in
mul8ple
languages.
! Create
a
“road
map”
for
where
parents
can
go
with
their
concerns.
40
41. Category
10
Create
more
independent,
parent-‐
led
support.
42. ! Have
Title
I
parent
involvement
money
go
to
organiza8ons
controlled
by
parents,
not
the
Department
of
Educa8on.
! Contract
with
mul8ple
outside
organiza8ons
with
parent-‐advocacy
exper8se.
42
43. Category
11
Use
charrebes,
or
convenings
like
them,
to
solicit
real
input.
44. ! Mandate
cross-‐district
communica8ons
and
mee8ngs,
for
Community
!
!
!
!
Educa8on
Councils,
School
Leadership
Teams,
PTA.
Solicit
input
from
parents
in
a
real
way
and
use
this
to
make
policy.
Create
a
system
of
roundtables
to
invite
input
and
allow
that
input
to
influence
policy.
Use
networks
to
connect
parents
–
create
facilitated
discussions.
Ins8tute
Chancellor
mee8ngs
with
parents
in
every
district,
with
translators,
and
report
back
to
parents
on
result
of
concerns
–
may
break
into
small
groups
with
deputy
chancellors
and
report
back
to
group.
Invest
resources
in
winning
the
par8cipa8on
of
many,
many
stakeholders.
!
! Have
frequent
events,
maybe
monthly
even,
that
involve
parents
within
a
!
!
district,
within
a
community,
to
have
their
voices
heard
on
the
issues
that
concern
them.
Use
highly
inclusive,
par8cipatory
models
like
the
charrebe
to
rethink
school
placements,
closures,
and
new
school
development.
Treat
new
school
placement
and
development
as
something
whose
success
depends
on
early/deep
Community
Educa8on
Council/community
input
in
the
design
phase.
44
46.
! I nspire/make
principals
truly
open
their
doors
to
all
parents.
! Give
parents
greater
access
to
their
children’s
classrooms
so
that
they
are
able
to
observe
how
their
children’s
school
is
run.
46
47. Category
13
Make
it
possible
for
parents
who
do
not
speak
English
as
a
first
language
to
truly
engage
with
their
schools
and
the
system.
48.
! Have
translators/dual
language
support
so
everyone
is
heard
!
!
!
!
!
!
equally.
(Just
try
and
incorporate
us!)
Conduct
mee8ngs
in
the
first
language
of
parents
and
translate
for
English
speakers.
Create
“transla8on
squads.”
Students
get
credit
and
are
trained
to
be
interpreters
at
all
events
and
mee8ngs
(similar
to
“mouse
squads”).
Give
grants
to
Community-‐Based
Organiza8ons
(CBOs)
for
them
to
offer
transla8on/interpreta8on
services
in
schools.
Work
with
parents
who
are
bilingual
and
offer
workshops.
Hire
staff
(teachers,
admin,
etc.)
who
speak
the
languages
of
the
community.
The
Department
of
Educa8on
(DOE)
needs
to
make
training
school
leaders
truly
inclusive
(in
terms
of
language
and
culture).
48
49. Category
14
Explore/create
policies
that
will
make
the
system
more
equitable.
50. ! Put
integra8on
back
on
the
table
as
a
priority.
! Create
schools
in
all
neighborhoods
that
parents
would
feel
proud
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
to
send
their
kids
to.
Ask
communi8es
about
what
school
they
might
want
to
see
in
their
neighborhood
and
then
request
proposals
that
can
meet
this
need.
Look
at
special
needs
as
a
diversity
and
treat
it
as
a
civil
rights
issue.
Provide
adequate
resources
to
children
with
disabili8es,
making
parents
sign
off
as
a
legi8mate
part
of
the
process.
Parents
evaluate
Individualized
Educa8on
Plan
(IEP)
process/
service.s
Parents
of
children
with
special
needs
receive
training
that
explains
their
rights.
Leadership/parent
development
should
include
working
across
cultural
differences.
Make
provisions
for
“Parent
duty”
(like
the
Family
Leave
Act).
Require
all
employers
in
NYC
to
provide
8me
for
parents
to
par8cipate
in
children’s
schools.
(Can
be
a
voucher
system.)
50
51. Category
15
Create
new
web
tools/social
media
outreach.
52. ! Create/sponsor
web-‐based
tools
for
parent
educa8on
and
involvement
for
each
school.
! Create
local
wikis/blogs.
! Create
websites
that
allow
parents
to
have
a
voice.
Department
of
Educa8on
staff
should
monitor
these
and
respond
to
ques8ons
and
concerns.
! Fund
tools
that
allow
parents
to
connect
remotely
via
blogs,
community
forums;
share
best
prac8ces
from
all
schools.
! Provide
innova8ve
and
concrete
ways
for
parents
to
connect
(for
example,
a
group
for
kindergarten
parents
across
the
city).
! No8fy
and
encourage
all
parents
of
their
op8ons
for
engagement
in
decision-‐making.
52
53. NYCpublic.org’s
projects
enable
public
school
parents
to:
! learn
about
educa8on
policy
issues
! connect
and
collaborate
with
other
parents
across
geographical,
economic,
social,
and
ethnic
divides
! maximize
the
reach
of
parent-‐led
campaigns
through
a
variety
of
online
and
offline
tools
! build
solu8ons
and
take
ac8on!
53
54. What
is
NYCpublic.org
up
to
right
now?
We
are:
! Building
an
online
playorm
that
allows
parents
to
learn,
organize,
and
take
ac8on,
! Collabora8ng
with
CEC
1
to
do
a
Parent
Engagement
Lab
(PEL)
focused
on
a
new
school
space
in
their
district,
and
! Designing
“Parents
Welcome
Here.”
Essen8ally
a
school-‐based
Parent
Engagement
Lab,
Parents
Welcome
Here
has
parents
and
school
staff
come
together
to
tackle
a
challenge,
such
as
what
to
do
about
food
waste
in
the
cafeteria.
This
common
cause
promotes
community-‐building
and
a
sense
of
allyship.
54
55.
NYCpublic
is
proud
to
have
received
grants
and
dona8ons
from:
Gale
Brewer
(during
her
tenor
as
a
City
Councilperson)
Elance
Estelle
Harris
Four
&
Twenty
Blackbirds
Renee
Rosenberg
Maizie
and
Sue
Schaffner
We
are
especially
thankful
to
Jack
and
Helen
Gorelick
for
their
recent
giz,
to
our
fiscal
sponsor,
Fund
for
the
City
of
New
York,
and
to
Talking
Transi8on
for
providing
us
an
inspira8onal
space
to
share
this
report.
We
invite
you
to
add
your
name
to
this
list.
55
