~ Building trust is crucial to school improvement ~ Administration need to be intentional and strategic about building trust among teachers, students, and families- how trust works, along with lots of practical, specific examples of how trust-building (and breaking!) occurs in real schools. Link

Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or institutional racisism such as in the PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Resilience was defined by most as the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going in the face of adversity.Link

Solutions Not Suspensions is calling for a nationwide moratorium on out-of-school suspensions. To implement this moratorium, Solutions Not Suspensions, a grassroots initiative of students, educators, parents, and community leaders, is calling on districts to support teachers and schools in dealing with discipline in positive ways – keeping students in the classroom and helping educators work with students and parents to create safe and engaging classrooms that protect the human rights

There are solutions. Solutions Not Suspensions promotes proven programs that equip teachers and school administrators with effective alternatives to suspensions. In support of this initiative, the Dignity in Schools Campaign is releasing a set of model school discipline policies that provide guidelines to help districts and schools implement the moratorium and phase in positive alternatives. LINK

Many children act out because of adult low expectations of them. Adults meaning parents, teachers, community, etc. That means making sure that all are intentional about the child's needs and not just hoping child will go away. What we are dealing with is a lot of internalized stuff that people are carrying in their hearts. I say this to all, if adults do better the children do better. Children watch adult behavior and copy that.

We successfully identified community members, teachers, school staff, administrators and all other members of the school community as stakeholders with a right to participate in decision-making. The recommended language requires states, districts and schools to: Establish an advisory committee to design and monitor effective processes for stakeholder participation.

It is important to hear all voices especially the parents and students whom we call " impacted families." PPU's common sense and critical thinking on this matter tells us that someone is always skeptical of hearing the voices most impacted. The most affected do not trust because they can sense the skepticism. How many times have we said to those who are educating our children, " it must be a team effort." This means including and listening to the parents for the needs of the children. Link

Someone once said to me don’t want it more for others than they want for themselves. In our desire to bring folks together through our storytelling and the “Loving Up movement”, a discovery happened. Even though we all think this movement is a great idea we do not have the capacity or the patience to embrace it.

The whole idea of the trust circles and relationship building: We need to be in a clear space for all to accept our offerings. This is directed to both sides. We do see the more we meet the more divided we become because we are approaching this process with all levels of expectations.

Portland Parent Union works with, loves up, supports, educates and helps to encourage partnerships, parent leaders, as well as facilitates and participates in coalitions and assists in or creates the development of campaigns to be inclusive of all stakeholders. We have a desire to influence all tables that claim they are working in our behalf. Portland Parent Union is representing the needs of the Families most impacted by “Pushout” from educational institutions. Link

Organizing for school reform offers an urgently needed alternative to traditional approaches to school reform. While many current reforms are innovative, they often fail to thrive due to lack of trust, understanding, or cultural relevance to the community being targeted by the reform (Oakes & Rogers 2006; Payne 2008). The high turnover of reformers (superintendents, principals, or outside organizations) is another major cause of school reform failure (Mintrop & Sunderman 2009).

If you have any objections towards us or our ways understand it is because we show up with life long harms. Any opportunity we get we will speak of our harms because there is never a space to just to let that happen. There is never anyone who will just listen without judgement, pity, guilt, professional privilege or time constraints. This is the problem.