Call in for Education Equity

Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network (PLAN)

On December 6th, call Superintendent Jack O' Connell: (916) 319-0800
Tell Jack O' Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, to meet and listen to the voices of Bay Area Parents!

Background:

On October 20th, PLAN hosted a Parent Action Forum on the Achievement Gap, Community Violence and Racial Justice.  Over 75 parents and community members came together.  We invited Jack O' Connell but he declined. On November 13-14, O'Connell hosted an Achievement Gap Summit in Sacramento, but with a cost of $50 and no scholarships provided, the event was inaccessible to most parents. On November 13th, we sent Jack O' Connell 150 signed postcards which asked O' Connell to meet with us in parent-accessible environment.  It's been a month and they still have not given us an answer.
On December 4th, O' Connell made surprise visit to Oakland to speak at a press conference, announcing partial return of Local Control to Oakland School Board.  Despite our demand to meet with him in the Bay Area, PLAN was not approached for a meeting.
 

This is not acceptable!  

We want Superintendent Jack O' Connell to come and meet with Bay Area parent and community members to discuss solutions to the academic achievement gap now!

Take Action! All it takes is one minute!

Sample Script:

"My name is [your name] and I'm calling as a part of the Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network Call-in Day.     I am a [parent, voter, resident] in [city], and I represent [ my organization, other parents like me]. I am calling to ask Superintendent Jack O' Connell to commit to a Bay Area meeting with a PLAN parent delegation by January 1, 2008 to hear parents' ideas on what is needed to resolve the state's racial Achievement Gap.

Additional Talking points:

Parents want to meet with Superintendent O'Connell to discuss policies to:

Implement a new strength-based school model that incorporates community and culture as an essential component to our children's academic success
Encourage and support more parental involvement and leadership development, especially among parents of color
Create better ways to measure student success (not just high-stakes testing)
Discuss the need for teacher training and classroom support, especially regarding how to work with California's diverse students
Expand funding for public education and distribute existing funds more equitably.
*PLAN's 2007 Fall Parent Action Forum identified these as priority issues for Educational Equity*

For more information, contact Michelle Matos, Tel. 510-444-7526, ext. 304, Email info@parentactionnet.org, or visit www.parentactionnet.org. PLAN is a project of CIF of the San Francisco Foundation

Michelle Matos

Program Coordinator