Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/166026
Know&Tell Grants Parent University With the help of a CTA IFT grant and local teachers, Inglewood parents are learning skills to help their child succeed BY SHERRY POSNICK-GOODWIN S C H O O L C A N B E a "scary" place for partogether to develop curricuents, says Terri Jernigan. Sometimes they lum and bring one workshop feel intimidated or unwelcome, or think per month to the school, they aren't being listened to by teachers covering such topics as and administrators. parent-teacher communiBut school is no longer scary for Jernigan cation, child development, and others with children at Bennett-Kew homework, Common Core Elementary School in Inglewood. Many par- State Standards and enrichents feel empowered because they become ment activities that stimulate partners with school staff, working together learning. They meet a week to help students achieve academic and perafter workshops to "debrief " sonal success. about lessons learned. What makes parents feel welcome and "Parents learn how to deal valued at Bennett-Kew, a campus where with their children's emonearly all of the students are minority and tions," says Jernigan, who is low-income? Parent University, a program raising her sixth-grade granddaughter. "It started last year by members of the Ingletaught me math skills and English skills to wood Teachers Association (ITA). help my child succeed. I work the graveFunded by a $20,000 grant from CTA's yard shift, but it's worth losing a little sleep Institute for Teaching for me to attend classes." (IFT), Parent UniverParents like Magdalena All parents want to sity offers after-school Araiza appreciate having help their children workshops plus field trips a Spanish-speaking translasucceed; they just tor convey information that for parents to the California need information Science Center, the Getty is provided. Museum, UCLA, and other "Students are learning on how to make places to explore with their English in school, so it's hard it happen. children for educational for them to explain things to ADRIANA PEREZ opportunities. A graduation us like homework," she says. ceremony was held in June. "Parent University gives us Before the program launched, teachtips on helping with homework and how to ers reached out to parents, asking: work together. I learned to stay calm when "What would you like to learn more my child is excited. Sometimes when there about so that you can help your child is fighting, we did not know how to react. succeed in school?" The last class explained how the brain ITA members and parents worked works and how children think." CONTINUED ON 18 16 Educator 09 Sep 2013 v3.6 int.indd 16 S E P T E M B E R 2013 9/3/13 2:25 PM