Community Involvement in Local Schools

By Vanessa White

This essay is the second of three blogs that I wrote for Soapbox Cincinnati (http://www.soapboxmedia.com) in spring 2009.

She explained that she watched my five children come and go on a daily basis and that she felt a sense responsibility for them. She also recalled that when she had school-aged children at home, there were others in the community who took some level of responsibility for them.

Members of our communities who are not necessarily parents of school children have a critical contribution to make to in the effort to improve our schools, both through their voices and their time. As a long-time school volunteer who has led a local school parent association and Cincinnati Parents for Public Schools, I have witnessed and encouraged their input. Teachers and school administrators who understand the importance of these community advocates actively create opportunities for their involvement.

Schools can partner with neighborhood businesses to expand the curriculum. They can enlist older residents, like my neighbor, to serve as greeters for children and visitors. They can recruit volunteers from the nearby church choir to fill the role of crossing guards. Leaders of the community council can lend their talents to the Local School Decision Making Council.

Fortunately, many of our Cincinnati Public Schools are blessed with an outpouring of community support from residents who believe that we all have a responsibility to educate students, not just the teachers and staff in schools and not just parents. We also are fortunate to have a core group of businesses, non-profit agencies, faith-based organizations and universities that all play a vital role in this important work. The support of the whole community helps our schools succeed.

Corporate investment of volunteers and resources + such as Cincinnati Bell's support of Taft High School and GE's partnership with Aiken High School + help students develop academically, socially and physically. Innovative community-sponsored programs like Partners in Education, Adopt-a-Class, and Crayons to Computers are invaluable to the quality of schools. Uptown Arts Center's free dance lessons and Crossroads Community Church's Whiz Kids mentoring program are just a couple examples of dozens of after-school programs that continue to work with thousands of students long after classes have ended.

Meanwhile, regional organizations such as Strive, which focuses on aligning resources to develop children from birth to career, and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, which focuses on workforce development, help assure that students are prepared.

We are blessed to have such energy and commitment from our community + much of which goes unnoticed and even unappreciated. They are essential complements to the fundamental efforts of parents and teachers in the ongoing crusade to improve our local schools.