Documentary sparks discussion of organizing in Philly

by Guest blogger on Feb 04 2011 Posted in Community voices

We have another guest blog post this week. Kendra Royster, an intern with the ACLU, attended a recent film screening and discussion about community organizing in education.

A recent screening of “A Community Concern,” a film by documentary filmmaker Susan Zeig, inspired dialogue about the needs of organizers in Philadelphia’s education community. Zeig and Fernando Carlo, a youth organizer featured in the film, attended the showing at The Enterprise Center in mid-January.

The film focused on the struggles of people working to make change in public schools. The most inspiring theme of the film was the shared belief that the community’s can fight for, and win, improvements in the schools.

After the film, a panel and discussion commenced with members from Philadelphia Student Union, Parents in Action Council, and Teacher Action Group. The discussion quickly turned to Philadelphia’s community of organizers and what is impeding success. Philadelphia has a large community of organizers, but not such a unified vision strong enough to persuade school officials. 

One of the biggest complaints was that constant miscommunication is stifling the progress of school reform in Philadelphia. “I noticed the administration speaking one language, teachers speaking another language, and parents speaking a different language. We are trying to make everyone multilingual,” said panel speaker Maurice Jones, a member of Parents in Action Council and the Home and School Association leader at Henry C. Lea Elementary School. The organizations in the film faced similar issues. The film showed that establishing fluid and honest communication with districts can be one of the more difficult aspects of organizing. The strength of this endeavor is dependent on the community’s ability to develop a strong, shared vision and the stamina to push through.

The people responsible for creating this shared vision in Philly aren’t exactly on the same page. This emerged in the discussion where panel speaker Anissa Weinraub, a teacher at Kensington Urban Education High School, described the “broken relationships and relationships of distrust between teachers and parents.” Parents and teachers are the direct line to the students and simultaneously act as leaders, educators, and advocates. However, when it’s time to pressure the District, the unity is lacking.

Mia King, a teacher at West Philadelphia High School, explained that there isn’t unity between parents and teachers. She said it’s a necessary issue to address before organizers can successfully “pressure the School District and public school officials to give schools the time they need to invest.”

In the film, the Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON) worked to establish strong ties between teachers and parents. BPON’s focus was to establish positions in the schools specifically designed to nurture relationships between the school and the parents. The role Family Community Outreach Coordinator was adopted, a victory for BPON members. When the parents and educators joined forces the city’s public officials took notice.

Philadelphia organizers, parents, and students have identified the community that needs to be reached, and they have established a network of organizations invested in the school reform movement. The next step is creating a vision that enlists cooperative community members and school officials.

Joy Herbert, parent and SAC co-chair at West Philly High School, said, "We've talked enough. We need to become more proactive. I'm done talking. Soon I will have four children at West Philly High receiving a bad education and I will not have it."

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