Maya McFadden Photo
Panelists (clockwise from top left) Darnell Goldson, Dietria Wells, Leroy Williams, Jamilah Prince Stewart, Larry Conaway, and Jose Champagne, at Monday night's forum.
Educators, advocates and parents ditched the “blame game” to brainstorm about how to help New Haven students do better in school during a time of various national challenges.
That happened at a two-hour community panel discussion held at First Calvary Baptist Church on Dixwell Avenue Monday evening.
The citywide meeting was hosted to discuss the “Educational Crisis of Black and Latino Youth.” The event was organized by the Greater New Haven Clergy Association.
The panel included retired New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) Principal Leroy Williams, Board of Education member Darnell Goldson, retired Brennan-Rogers educator Dietria Wells, former school board member and NHPS Principal Larry Conaway, Executive Director of Faith Acts for Education Jamilah Prince Stewart, and Pastor Jose Champagne.
“We’re beginning a long discussion about the future of education in this city. About how we’re going to help in this process. We did not come here tonight to bash anyone,” Rev. Boise Kimber said.
Apostle Eugene Brunson offer welcoming prayer and invocation.
The panelists touched on the social-emotional “Comer” method, school choice enrollment, chronic absenteeism, and the state Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula.
A theme that ran through each speakers’ presentation: Students’ guardians (such as parents) need to be involved every day in their kids’ education and can benefit from more tools to help do that.
Monday night's audience at First Calvary.
Williams said many students have fallen behind on their education due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the isolation experienced during early lockdowns that limited in-person church services and classes. “It’s going to take the whole village,” Williams said. “Many kids learn their first words in Bible study or in prayer meeting.”
“But we have to go back to mom, grandma, dad, and pop helping kids,” he said. “It starts with something simple, just asking while riding down the highway to read some signs, colors of cars, just things that they can do to make them think.”
He suggested parents asked their children what they want to eat. If the children offer a specific response — a hot dog, say — then serve it. But if they aren’t specific in asking for a bun, mustard and relish, or a toasted bun, the parents should request more specificity before serving it.
He also suggested that when children request money, parents have them write a letter describing exactly what they want the money for.
Another tip: Pause children’s TV shows and ask them what the show is about, their thoughts and opinions.
Williams offered parents a list of words their students should learn by third grade and encouraged them to stay on top of their students’ academics.
Goldson urged attendees to support a charter revision proposal to create more elected school board positions.
Wells discussed the importance of guardians being involved with School Planning & Management Teams (SPMT) and Students, Staff, Support Teams (SSST).
“Our children need us,” she said.
“We need you to get them to school,” Wells added. “And what does that do? Attendance goes up, discipline problems are lessened, academic achievement goes up.”
She suggested parents prioritize sending their kids to school ready to learn by being sure they’re well rested and they eat breakfast, telling them, “I don’t want to hear from that school.”
Grandfather Quints O. Davis.
Later in the panel, the floor was opened to community members like grandparent Quints O. Davis, who spoke about his involvement in his granddaughter Zoey’s education.
Davis said his family works hard to be involved in Zoey’s education and making sure she is prepared and on grade level when arriving each day at Booker T. Washington Academy.
He said his granddaughter has been attacked and bullied at her school, then told by administrators “There’s nothing that we can do.”
“When the parents do painstakingly do what they need to do to get their kids in these environments, the environment should be there so that they feel safe,” he said.
Hopes springs eternal. This is the most significant community meeting in a long time. It has some highly accomplished educators in the mix and the invocation of no fault finding is straight out of the Comer Model. If our faith leaders can continue to follow the scripture that summarizes the Jesuit principle of not casting stones since we all have faults, if we can meet the needs of the least among us, and if our pastors can have a road to Damascus conversion: then I have hope. All great movements begin with a moral awakening. Congratulations to all the people who brought this to fruition. Next step is to accept that Faith without works is dead, I believe that the organizers are sincere and will continue to work for our children and families. May their efforts be blessed.