"Every Child, Every Chance"

By Lucille Prater-Holliday

Every child, deserves every chance, to receive a quality public education. The traditional learning model in the Pittsburgh Public Schools has failed generations of students. It's time to implement a new learning model.That model is "Community Schools".

Students come from families and communities,and the reality of their lives must also be part of the school. Parent Engagement positions have been reduced or eliminated, and teachers and administrators are overwhelmed with testing, paperwork and other activities that prevent them from engaging parents in a manner that increases student achievement. Studies show that creating Community Schools is a way to increase academic achievement, reduce the drop-out rate, and ensure that resources are equitably and efficiently distributed, so that every child does have every chance to receive a quality education in the PPS.

According to world renowned Educational Consultant and Author Dr. Juwanzza Kunjufu,Governors review fourth grade reading scores to determine prison growth, and children who cannot read by the fourth grade are more likely to end up incarcerated as adults. In the 2011-2012 PPS school year, 43% of fourth grade economically disadvantaged students at Faison K-5, 30% at Lincoln Pre K-5, 28% at Liberty K-5 and Montessori Pre-K - 8, were below basic in Reading,(PA Dept. of Ed.), which means that many of our PPS students are in the school to prison pipeline as early as the fourth grade.

Additionally, as recently as 2011, the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE), reported that an estimated 1.3 million American high school students drop out every year, a disproportionate number of whom are students of color.At this rate, a large segment of PPS students will remain entrenched in poverty while on a global scale, our labor force will continue to lag behind.

Overwhelmingly, schools in low-income communities lack the necessary resources, such as books, microscopes, computers and other equipment necessary to ensure positive educational outcomes for students. I have personally spoken with PPS Teachers who have had to spend their own money on supplies for their classrooms.

A Community School is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources, with an integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement, which leads to improved student learning, stronger families, and stronger,healthier communities.

Community Schools are not physical buildings but are schools that function as hubs, bringing together partners to offer a range of supports and opportunities to children, youth, families and communities. "Partners work to achieve these results: Children are ready to enter school; students attend school consistently; students are actively involved in learning in their community; families are increasingly involved with their children's education; schools are engaged with families and communities; students succeed academically; students are healthy - physically, socially, and emotionally; students live and learn in a safe, supportive, and stable environment, and communities are desirable places to live" (Coalition for Community Schools, "What is a Community School", http://www.communityschools.org).

Community Schools have reported higher achievement rates than traditional public schools. In a 2009 comparison study of Childrens Aid Society(CAS)Community Schools and other New York City Schools,CAS schools' students scored significantly higher on math tests than students in other city schools; in Providence,RI,there were 55% fewer incidences of chronic absenteeism among participants in Providence Full Service Community Schools(FSCS)programs than in the general school popultion; Anna Yates Elementary School in Alameda County California saw an increase in their API (Californaia State's Academic Performance Index), which is more rigorous than AYP, by 41 points; Philadelphia's Sayre High School's first senior class had a 90% graduation rate compared to a city-wide rate around 50% (http://www.communityschools.org).

Community Schools also provide a way for schools and communities to leverage their shared physical and human assets to help students be successful. Community Schools are open all day, every day, and provide an open door to the community. Community Schools can offer GED and other training classes, night gym activities, and other opportunities for the school to connect with the community.

While the world has turned to Smart Phones, PPS remains a rotary phone, perpetuating a conventional school model which has failed our children for generations. Community Schools have an operating system similar to that of a "Smart Phone", that makes all of the "apps" work in a synchronized manner.

Our nation's children are its future workers, citizens and leaders. Education remains the major tool by which people become empowered and the economic, social, and personal well-being of all citizens increases.

PPS District 1 deserves a School Board representative that has a 21st century vision, is aware of and sensitive to the needs of its constituents, and knows that when schools, parents, and communities work together, educational outcomes for students improve exponentially.

Just as it was time for smarter phones,it's time for a newer "smarter" Pittsburgh Public School system. It's time for "Community Schools" in Pittsburgh.