The effectiveness of PreK-12 schools in successfully educating African-American children is dismal. By the time African-American children enter high school, they are often more than four academic years behind their White counterparts. Suspensions for African-American children are approximately three to five times higher than for White children. Effective parent involvement programs for African-Americans can aid in increasing academic achievement and reducing suspensions of their children. Parent involvement programs should incorporate the unique assets African-Americans bring to such programs. All too often parent programs are school-centric, meaning that school personnel define what factors are in the programs. Effective linkage between parents/home environment, school personnel, and community resources is essential to the development of an effective parent involvement program that significantly enhances education for African-American children.

What happens when you get Black teachers, parents and students in a room with no talking points, no filter, just honest conversation? Well, as a Black baby raised in the ’90s would say, “it got real.”

We recently invited more than 40 participants to share the joys and frustrations of being Black in America’s public schools. Their conversations were moderated by a few education advocates we invited from around the country.

Our mission is to strengthen the power and voice of low-income and working families at all levels of civic life—from local institutions and communities to local, state, and federal policy arenas.

COFI has trained and organized thousands of parents in some of the toughest neighborhoods anywhere. These leaders, primarily mothers and grandmothers, are winning improvements in their schools and communities, creating their own organizations and programs, and changing policies on critical issues that affect families.

The work is taking root around the country, attracting national attention to parent-led innovative policy solutions. COFI supports partner organizations to learn and put into action the key organizing steps of the COFI Way.

Welcome to COFI!

• Which partnership practices are currently working well at each grade level?

• Which partnership practices should be improved or added in each grade?

• How do you want your school's family involvement practices to look three years from now?

• Which present practices should change and which should continue?

• Which families are you reaching and which are hard to reach?

• What can be better done to communicate with the latter?

• What costs are associated with the improvements you want?

• How will you evaluate the results of your efforts?​

​

The most important and most effective way to get the word out about Project Appleseed's Parental Involvement Pledge is to use it in all parts of your school program. Make the Parental Involvement Pledge an integral point of reference for all that you do at your school. In this way, all partners will understand how their commitments and their actions contribute to improved student learning and high achievement for all students. Here are some ways you can make your Parental Involvement Pledge count.

Rather than simply asking and expecting parents to volunteer in schools, use the Parental Involvement Pledge to canvass the entire school-community during the school year and into the next. Below are some action steps that can be used to make your Parental involvement Pledge effort a big success. Some steps may not apply to your school or district.

• communication

• encouragement of individuals

• commitment to family

• religious orientation

• social connectedness

• ability to adapt

• expressing appreciation

• clear roles

• time together