2007 HOUSTON HEARING ON NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND,
INPUT FOR U.S. CONGRESS:
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Photo by Ben DeSoto

On March 27, 2007, Houston A+ Challenge convened more than 250 parents, students, educators, business leaders and community members for a statewide public hearing on No Child Left Behind.

These key observations and recommendations on Community Involvement were recorded during the Houston event and submitted to U.S. Senators by the Public Education Network on March 28, 2007:

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• There should be more oversight and enforcement of the NCLB requirements that schools and school districts involve parents and the community in school-based decision-making.
• There should be more line-item funding for schools to carry out these requirements. It was noted that "getting the word out" and building effective partnerships takes money and time.
• There should be more "bottom-up assessment" of schools. Community/parent surveys of teachers, principals and schools should be taken seriously and factored into school report cards.
• Reports on a school's progress -- including details on financial oversight -- should be mailed to parents and community members.
• More resources should be directed toward translation services and outreach that encourages participation among non-English speaking parents, in order to make them feel welcome, respected and engaged in their children's education.
• Businesses should be given tax incentives for participating in schools. Examples included: mentoring students, visiting classrooms, real-world lesson planning with teachers.