Local schools involve parents

By Kate Levine

Public schools in Champaign and Urbana participated in National African American Parent Involvement Day on Monday as part of Black History Month.

Joseph Dulin, a principal of an alternative school for socially and academically “at-risk” students, founded the day in 1995.

Dulin, who is from Ann Arbor, Mich., conceived the idea after attending the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., in 1995. There, people from around the country were urged to return to their communities to improve the quality of life.

“Every parent wants their child to have a better quality of life than they themselves had,” Dulin said on the Web site devoted to the event. “It is the American dream, and for many African Americans, this dream has not been realized as a result of their child’s failure in school. Education is the key to success and parents are educators’ greatest allies.”

Schools throughout the nation annually observe the parent involvement day on the second Monday in February. Although the national office does not keep statistics on the exact number of schools participating, “cities in 47 of the 50 states have inquired and planned to initiate the day (since its establishment),” said Barbara James, the national office’s coordinator.

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“What the Champaign district has done is allow schools to revamp their day to welcome parents, guardians and relatives into the classrooms,” said Doretha Simmons, director of human resources at Champaign Unit 4 school district. “Each school has the liberty to design a special program for their parents.”

At the middle schools, parents travel from classroom to classroom with their child. At the elementary schools, parents may come to lunch and watch special presentations, Simmons said.

Although the day focuses primarily on African Americans, all parents and guardians are encouraged to participate in the festivities, James said.

“The cooperation of everyone is solicited in this win-win endeavor that only serves to better the nation’s schools,” James said.