Phila. schools chief meets with parents

She'll come to your living room and she'll talk to you across a conference table, but the message is always going to be the same, Philadelphia schools superintendent Arlene Ackerman said.

"You have to do what you have to do for your children, and you don't have to ask anyone if it's OK to be in their classroom," Ackerman told 200 parents who gathered at district headquarters to share ideas and ask her questions last night. "Now I know some parents have told me horror stories about the way they're treated. I want our schools to change their cultures."

Involving parents is a main theme of the superintendency of Ackerman, who tells every new group she meets that she's a mother, first and most important.

She has begun meeting with parents in their homes, and last night, Ackerman initiated the first in a monthly series of parent roundtables - taking suggestions on how the district can improve and vowing to report back next time on the progress her administration has made.

Sitting in a loose circle, one group of a dozen parents, grandparents and other caregivers shared ideas and frustrations in a steady stream of chatter.

Eileen Brown, a grandmother with students at Germantown High school and Wakisha Charter School, said that despite trying to be an active part of the children's education, she feels kept out of the loop by some teachers.

Sitting next to her, Celeste Collins, parent of a daughter at Powel Elementary in West Philadelphia, nodded.

"Like, Zoe is doing good, but good compared to what? What does it mean to be at basic level?" Collins said.

"One of the things we have to do is to help you know what questions to ask," Ackerman said. "There should be no surprises."

Gerry Sizemore, whose grandson attends Carver High School of Engineering and Science, wants more information about field trips. (Pretty easy to fix, Ackerman said.)

Leonard Worley, whose cousin attends Bok High School, thinks students should be prepared for college earlier, as freshmen and sophomores in high school. (She's working on it, Ackerman said, requiring all 10th graders to take the PSAT this year and all ninth and 10th graders to take it next year.)

Judith Jackson, whose grandchildren attend Wakisha Charter, wants more access to the superintendent - did she ever think about one-on-one, open-door sessions?

"I've been thinking about that," said Ackerman, who noted it as a good idea. "I wonder: Do I give everyone five minutes? Do I do it on a Saturday? I've got to think about it."

Other groups talked about safety, early childhood education, parent advocacy, and access for non-English speakers with other district employees. They came up with a laundry list of suggestions, from giving lessons on how to analyze a school budget to holding meetings at more convenient times for working parents.

The good news, Ackerman said, is that there is no shortage of good ideas.

The bad news?

"How are we going to get all this done? My staff is probably saying, 'Oh, my goodness.' But I'm excited," Ackerman said.

Jackson, the charter school grandparent, wasn't going to let her off the hook.

"So next month you'll tell us what you've accomplished?" Jackson asked.

Yes, Ackerman promised.

Collins, the Powel School parent, was impressed - but she's also a realist.

"She's listening, and she hears our concerns, and that's great," Collins said. "The challenge is going to be implementation and prioritizing. The wish lists are endless, and she's going to be sidelined by the budget."

Mike Katz is both a Philadelphia public school teacher - he teaches fourth grade at Robert Morris Elementary in North Philadelphia - and a parent, to a senior at Masterman High.

He sees firsthand how important parent involvement is - his son's school is among the best in the nation partly because of that, he said. But the school where he works suffers because at parent-teacher conference time, only half the parents show up.

"It's depressing," he said.

But getting 200 parents to show up on a school night means people are willing to listen to Ackerman, and if she delivers on her promises, more will show up, Katz said.

"I'm absolutely encouraged," he said.

Ackerman said parents who want to sign up for future roundtables or home visits should call 215-400-6161, her hotline, or e-mail her at superintendent@philasd.org with contact information.