CTA believes strengthening school communities could provide students in low-performing schools a better chance at succeeding.
"Simply put, more people would be invested in their success," says CTA President Barbara E. Kerr.
With that in mind, CTA is making a long-term commitment to working in partnership with teachers, parents, community-based organizations, foundations and businesses to increase their involvement in the future of California's Schools of Greatest Need.
This year CTA's Institute for Teaching (IFT) will work with pilot schools in different regions of the state to inaugurate a community-based planning process designed to improve learning; increase professional training for new and emergency-permit teachers; build stronger involvement of parents from diverse cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds; and invite investment from individuals, businesses and foundations.
As a nonprofit foundation, IFT hopes to raise $3 million to $5 million over the next two years to underwrite the program. The money will go towards local planning efforts, establishing dialogues with nationally recognized leaders in school reform, increasing parental engagement, and securing increased academic resources for students.
For its part, CTA has pledged more than $1 million in contributions and in-kind support.
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Maria Bruno works with Carey Christenson and Sydney Mostella at Los Medanos.
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"The Schools of Greatest Need Initiative is not a quick fix," says CTA Board Member Lynette Henley. "It is an intensive, long-term process to strengthen school communities and improve student achievement."
The program was begun after analyzing the input from the "Listen, Learn and Lead" brainstorming sessions CTA conducted among teachers and community members across the state. Participants told CTA that many Schools of Greatest Need present environments that do not serve the best interests of students or invite learning:
- Facilities are overcrowded and rundown, with inadequate heating and cooling systems.
- There is a chronic shortage of teaching materials and up-to-date textbooks.
- An inordinately high percentage of emergency credentialed and inexperienced teachers are employed in these schools, and deplorable working conditions increase teacher turnover and drive some teachers out of the profession altogether.
- The knowledge and experience of classroom teachers is too often overlooked in plans to improve schools.
- Parents from diverse backgrounds find limited assistance or means to become more actively involved in their children's education.
- These schools lack solid relationships with businesses, nonprofit organizations, clinics and neighbors within the communities that surround them, and, as a result, miss many opportunities for partnerships and investment.
"It's no wonder these schools are in crisis," says Kerr, pointing to statistics that provide compelling evidence of the need for CTA's initiative:
- More than 1 million K-12 students in California attend schools in the lowest deciles of the API.
- More than 6,700 elementary, middle and high schools in the state fall within the lowest two deciles.
- More than 95 percent of all students in the Schools of Greatest Need are ethnic minorities, and most come from low-income families.
By building strong communities, CTA's initiative would help a wide range of stakeholders to work in partnership to develop real solutions for improving the Schools of Greatest Need before the gap widens. The hope, says Kerr, is that greater involvement will invite greater community investment.
The first school to participate in the program's pilot year is expected to be announced soon.
For more information on the program, or to make a contribution, contact the IFT office at (650) 552-5568.
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Staples' recycling effort to benefit needy schools
Staples, the office supply store, is partnering with the CTA Institute for Teaching to support CTA's Schools of Greatest Need Initiative.
Staples is donating $1 to the effort for every eligible inkjet or laser toner cartridge recycled in its 160 California stores before Oct. 1.
The Schools of Greatest Need Campaign will use the funds to provide additional classroom resources, teacher training and family involvement programs at schools where students need the most help.
"Staples' program will help CTA's efforts to support those schools that are working hard to improve against big odds," says CTA President Barbara E. Kerr.
"This program is an easy way for Staples to join forces with our customers and educators to help public education and the environment in California," says Frank Gorski, Staples regional vice president.
According to industry statistics, 80 percent of inkjet cartridges are thrown in the trash, where they could remain in the waste stream for centuries. The Staples Recycle for Education program makes it easy to recycle used cartridges in clearly marked recycling bins at stores.
"This 'trash for cash' program not only helps our Schools of Greatest Need," says Kerr, "but also reduces environmental waste and teaches the value of recycling to all of our students."
Supporting education and keeping the environment healthy are major corporate concerns for Staples. The chain has been praised by environmental groups for its paper procurement policy and the large number of recycled-content products it sells.
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