Yes, yes, it is idealistic. Yet apparently parental engagement works in public education. There’s plenty of research to back that up (see the Flamboyen Foundation) and now a local is doing pilots here in the Bay State.
Likely we all remember John Connolly as the nearly Boston Mayor in the last election. Yet, he did not fall into thinking about what almost was, nor did he retreat into lawyering or running for City Council or some other office. Instead, he connected with Chris Gabrieli for space to start his 1647 pilot program.
He and I spoke for half an hour on what they are doing in Salem, how they intend to expand, what the obstacles have been, and what benefits the engagement process produces.
For those who like cutting to the chase:
- Parents, teachers and students are all wary of home visits but quickly get with the program.
- Teachers need bribes, a.k.a. incentives such as professional credits or small amounts of cash, to add this to their workloads.
- This works where the principal/headmaster doesn’t fight it.
- Trust is the whole game. When parents accept that teachers really want to know how their kids learn, they open up.
Listen in below as Connolly speaks about training the teachers and particularly the benefits to all concerned.
We did not get into and I don’t know whether Connolly can answer how scalable this process is. We touched on how teachers are used to 20 or 25 or 30 students at a time. This one-on-one is not the norm. Connolly is convinced and sees in the pilot that parental engagement pays terrific benefits.
I for one would love to see whether Boston’s new schools superintendent will be receptive to this. That new tenure should coincide with 1647’s maturity in expanding.
~Mike
…on a study showing parental engagement works in public education. That’s a no-brainer to anyone involved.
The Flamboyen Foundation seems very Type A. Their site has research on various aspects of education, including measures of engagement.
You just named the education “studies” industry.
Step 1 – Study a question whose answer is already widely known.
Step 2 – Misinterpret the statistical results and announce counter-intuitive findings.
Step 3 – Spend millions of rich peoples’ money through unaccountable grants pushing incorrect beliefs.
Step 4 – Ignore corrections to balmy theory.
Step 5 – Admit wrongness after running many children’s education, then rush back to steps 1 and 2.
This is the story of small schools, phonics, and (soon to be) STEM-only education.
In unrelated news, glad to see that after Connolly is still out there. After all, he failed to get elected despite hedge-fund managers donating big money to his campaign in the understanding that he’d further privatize education. He’s gotta keep earning those checks, Jeb Bush style.
Not only did I not name “the education ‘studies’ industry,” but you don’t portray either Flamboyen or Connolly accurately.
First, that foundation pioneered educational programs in Puerto Rico and D.C. Both areas badly needed improvements. Their efforts were fine tuned and worked pretty well for the students, teachers and parents. They recorded and measured what they did. Yes, it was real and yes they proved it.
John and I disagree on the efficacy and importance of charter schools, but he was smeared in his campaign on the issue. He’s a huge advocate for public education (even to the obvious of enrolling his kids in BPS). He does think that some charters can develop and share best practices. I remain to be convinced. Yet he is in no way one of those who’d bleed BPS resources for charters. That was and remains unfair and unreasonable characterization.
He didn’t go to work for some charter-schools machine nor turn to a lucrative law firm. He’s working with public schools trying to see what helps ordinary folk.
I was responding to christoper, not you, on the “no-brainer” aspect of the study that just repeated what Eric Hanushek had quantified before I was born.
Secondly, of course the foundation pioneered programs in DC and Puerto Rico! You think the nice parents of Weston lets every MBA who won’t release a donors’ list for his foundation near their kids? No, from Teach for America to Bill Gates, it is always the most vulnerable students who are treated as lab rats.
If you look at Connolly’s donor list, it’s clear who is friends are.