Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 2414 BOCNEWS.com APRIL 2017 Families Need a Meaningful Voice in Education When it comes to education policy, we have lots of conversations about school buildings and how those buildings are run and not enough con- versations about who is in those build- ings and what they are supposed to be doing. Representing the “customers” of public education – namely, parents and families – too often means we just check a box and don’t make the extra effort to make sure parents and fami- lies have an opportunity for meaning- ful engagement in the process. We need to be putting as much effort into engaging community-led organiza- tions and the families they represent as we put into engaging the adults in our school buildings. In fact, we need to put in more effort. Because superin- tendents and school boards and teach- ers’ unions have legislative power, they have representation. But that is not the case for far too many families in Colorado. In some of our largest districts in this state, African American students represent less than 5% of the K-3 population but they represent over half of the kids that get suspended. What does it say to a little boy or girl when they are labeled as a bad kid and a threat before they can even read and sometimes when that have just barely learned to write their own name? Who is representing those students? When those children have to miss school, it creates a hardship for parents who have to miss work to take care of them. Who is representing those families? As President and CEO of the Urban League of Metro Denver, I have had the opportunity to work with the Colorado Department of Education and a num- ber of civil rights organizations on our state’s plan to comply with the recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) federal legislation. The overall purpose of ESSA is to help every kid who is behind in school to get caught up and on track – not just kids in urban areas but kids in suburban and rural areas as well. The law gives states more flexibility to make decisions and it requires that states engage parents and community-led organizations in decision making. Too often community members, especially in communities of color, are only asked for input after the fact and in a superficial way. But the ESSA law is clear. Parents must be consulted on the development of state and local plans. And they must have meaningful input. We believe that this requirement offers a leverage point to make a demonstrable difference. Our coalition of civil rights organi- zations includes everyone from the NAACP to Padres Unidos y Jovenes, the Statewide Parent Coalition to the 8th Street Baptist Church in Pueblo. ESSA is an opportunity to make sure we are fighting not just for some of the adults in the system but for all of the kids in this state. We want every kid in Colorado to have the best shot pos- sible – to graduate with a degree that means something. We want every kid to be able to go to college without hav- ing to take remedial coursework - or to go to a trade school and pursue a career that gives them a life of self- sufficiency. With this new law, Colorado can build on the positive momentum cre- ated by the implementation of higher, more rigorous standards. We want to make sure that we are not just check- ing a set of compliance boxes but are instead using ESSA as leverage to drive more equitable outcomes in our public education system. We see ESSA as an opportunity to broaden the circle of influence to include parents and community-led organizations in set- ting the direction of public education of this state in a way that hasn’t been done up to now. We intend to continu- ing working with anyone and everyone to make sure we take full advantage of this unprecedented opportunity. Sean Bradley is the President and CEO of the Urban League of Metro Denver By Sean Bradley COMMUNITY We want every kid in Colorado to have the best shot possible – to graduate with a degree that means something. We want every kid to be able to go to college without having to take remedial coursework.