How Municipal Leaders Can Engage Parents in Dropout Prevention
Referred to as “The Silent Epidemic,” the high school dropout crisis claims 1.3 million students each year and costs the nation hundreds of billions of dollars[i]. Research puts the national graduation rate at about 70 percent and nearly one-half of minority students will not graduate with their class[ii]. A recent report from McKinsey & Company estimates that the costs of our nation’s education achievement gap between minority and white students alone is equivalent to 2 to 4 percent of GDP and imposes the “economic equivalent of a permanent national recession”[iii].
In response to this growing crisis, unprecedented funding for education has recently been generated at the federal level, but the reality is that 90 percent of all education funding comes from state and local sources[iv]. Local leaders and communities most directly impact student lives and have the most significant role to play in ensuring all our students graduate high school prepared for college, careers and life.
Parents and caregivers are arguably the most important contributors to a child’s educational success and it is critical that city leaders work with schools and other community partners to engage parents in dropout prevention and in the development of strategies to ensure the success of all children.
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The following set of city practices encourages action and presents examples on the unique role that municipal leaders play in engaging families in education. The practices below are primarily derived from a new National League of Cities report, The State of City Leadership for Children and Families, which highlights local trends and innovations in promoting child and family well-being.
Mayors and other municipal officials are increasingly spearheading citywide efforts to improve outcomes for young people and families. In November 2008, a group of prominent mayors who have championed these efforts in their own communities launched a new Mayors’ Action Challenge for Children and Families to promote city leadership and innovation. The Challenge calls on mayors to set specific, measurable, locally-defined goals and targets in four areas to ensure that every child has:
- Opportunities to learn and grow
- A safe neighborhood to call home
- A healthy lifestyle and environment
- A financially fit family in which to thrive
More than 100 mayors have joined the Challenge, and new mayors can join by going to www.mayorsforkids.org.
This guide was developed by the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education and Families and America’s Promise Alliance who are working to help city leaders address the nation’s high school dropout crisis and help us to become a Grad Nation.
Developed by America’s Promise Alliance and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, city leaders can use the 3A Framework as a way to effectively organize their efforts around Attendance Every Day, Achievement Every Year, and Attainment Over Time.
City Examples and Practices
General Outreach
Host a First Day of School event for parents, students, teachers and businesses
To engage parents in their children’s education from day one, several cities sponsor community-wide First Day of School festivals as part of a national campaign that began in 1997. Charleston, S.C., and Nashville, Tenn., are among the cities with the most successful First Day events, each drawing thousands of students, parents, teachers and local businesses. The festivals encourage parents to take their children to school on the first day, offer donated backpacks and school supplies, connect families with teachers, provide information on school and community-based health and student support services, and offer food and numerous fun activities. In addition, each city’s mayor recognizes an “honor roll” of businesses that give employees time off to volunteer at their child’s school, participate in the event, or accompany their child to school on the first day.
Attendance
Form partnerships to engage parents in reducing truancy
In more than a dozen cities, municipal leaders have supported the development of truancy prevention centers. Built on partnerships among police, school districts, and social service providers, these centers help identify and respond to the root causes behind student absenteeism rather than emphasizing detention and punishment. For instance, in Corpus Christi, Texas, police bring truant youth to a Juvenile Assessment Center operated by the city parks and recreation department, where both the youth and their parents can receive case management and access to a broad range of services. Sacramento’s Attendance Center offers parenting classes, counseling, job skill training and drug treatment services at a local high school, with services available to both truant students and parents. In Albany, N.Y., a Truancy Abatement Center notifies parents and schools immediately upon intake of their child, school and center staff offer support services, and police and probation officers make follow-up joint home visits to reinforce a stay-in-school message.
Develop a searchable online afterschool program locator for parents and students
Participation in high-quality, out-of-school time programs is linked to a number of positive academic outcomes, from attendance to test scores. City officials have found a way to use Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to make it easy for parents and youth to find appropriate afterschool and summer activities in their neighborhoods. From Boise, Idaho, to Morgantown, W.Va., municipal leaders have developed online out-of-school time program locators. Building on partnerships with a network of city, school and community-based afterschool programs, these Web sites allow parents to search for programs by neighborhood, age group, program type, fees, dates and times, and transportation options. Boise’s After3 Web site was developed by the Mayor’s Council on Children and Youth. The Morgantown Parent Zone highlights child care and out-of-school time options for children of all ages.
Achievement
Support parents of young children in promoting early learning
Parent involvement in their children’s educational development is vital, not only in K-12, but from the day their child is born. There are numerous ways in which municipal leaders can support parents in guiding the early education of their young children. For instance, the cities of Chicago, Portsmouth, Virginia, and Woods Cross, Utah, provide new parents with “welcome baby” kits offering information about local resources, how to cultivate reading skills, and tips for promoting school readiness. In Woods Cross, the “welcome baby” kits are provided by a volunteer home visitor through a collaborative program that the city helps coordinate. Cities such as Stamford, Connecticut., provide parent leadership training classes to help parents advocate for their children in local health, public school and government systems. In San Antonio, the city’s Early ON School Readiness initiative uses a citywide media campaign to focus parents’ attention on the importance of early learning.
Involve parents and students in “community schools”
The community schools model transforms local schools into neighborhood hubs that offer a broad range of health and social services, afterschool programs, adult education courses, and other resources. By keeping their facilities open beyond school hours, these schools serve as centers of community that support learning around the clock and demonstrate higher levels of achievement compared with other schools. In addition, community schools make concerted efforts to engage parents in site planning and service coordination. In Lincoln, Neb., 15 school-based Community Learning Centers offer numerous out-of-school time enrichment opportunities, along with adult education and financial literacy. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department is one of seven lead agencies, which include the Lincoln YMCA and Lincoln Housing Authority.
Recruit parents to support a community-wide literacy effort
The Louisville, Ky., Every 1 Reads partnership has helped cut the proportion of Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) students reading below grade level from 18 percent in 2003 to nine percent in 2008. The partnership among JCPS, Louisville Metro Government and the Greater Louisville, Inc., Education Task Force uses a variety of strategies to unite the community around a shared goal of having every JCPS student read at or above grade level, including: a new curriculum, professional development, interventions with struggling readers, more regular diagnostic assessments, and engagement of afterschool providers. The partnership has also recruited more than 10,000 volunteers to tutor students reading below grade level. In addition to volunteering, parents can get involved by receiving tools and resources to help improve their children’s reading skills, searching for appropriate out-of-school time activities through an online program locator created by the Louisville Metro Office of Youth Development, and improving their own reading skills.
Attainment
Engage parents in alternative high school and dropout recovery programs
For students who have struggled in traditional high school settings – and who may have dropped out or be on the verge of dropping out – the availability of high-quality alternative high school options may offer a chance to get back on track. Municipal leaders can support these efforts by working with school districts to expand innovative alternative school models such as those developed by the Alternative High School Initiative (AHSI) network. For instance, the City of Indianapolis, where the mayor has school chartering authority, partnered with Big Picture Learning to open the Indianapolis Met public charter high school. Big Picture Learning schools involve parents in all aspects of student learning and engage them as resources to the school community.
Provide college counseling and assistance
Several cities have developed robust partnerships that provide high school students with college counseling and preparation. In Phoenix, city leaders used Community Development Block Grants and philanthropic funding to open a full-service college planning center called College Depot. Located in a downtown library, College Depot offers: assistance with college applications; workshops for parents and students on college readiness, financial aid, and test preparation; college planning software to match students with colleges, scholarships, and internships; and college fairs and appointments with university and community college counselors. The city served as a convener of funders, school district officials, and postsecondary institutions.
[i] Alliance for Excellent Education. (2010). The Economic Benefits from Halving the Dropout Rate. Washington D.C.: Alliance for Excellent Education.
[ii] Swanson, C. (2009) Cities In Crisis 2009: Closing the Graduation Gap, Educational and Economic Condiations in America’s Largest Cities. Washington D.C.: Editorial Projects in Education.
[iii] McKinsey & Company. (2009). The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America’s Schools. New York City: McKinsey & Company, Social Sector Office.
[iv] U.S. Department of Education, (2010, March 6). U.S. Department of Education Website. Retrieved March 6, 2010, from http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html?src=ln