School Council, School Improvement Plans, ACEs, Diversity & Help?

@Cissy White  You're the best.  I love that you are so boldly putting it out there!   

To begin with, you know that your question is laden with like 10,000 $1,000,000 questions.  You may be new to this arena, but you're a quick study, so of course you have all the questions everyone in education has been grappling with for eternity:

- How to include ALL VOICES?
- How to bridge PTAs mission with the broader school community?
- How to engage parents with busy lives, distance, etc?  And for what purpose?
- How to diminish inequities potentially inherent in income, racial, cultural differences?

For starters, I think you may want to Simon Sinek this one with your fellow school council members.

WHY?  What are you wanting to accomplish and WHY?  Is your desire to share ACES information shared by a majority on the council?  If so, for what purpose?  Are you looking to have parents find one another for support with these ACES experiences?  How might it look for parents that are actively living ACES? Are you hoping to bring trauma-informed principles into the school via the parent's voice?

A lot of people are going to tell you, "do a needs assessment; survey people."  I say, slow down, titrate, give space and time, start what may be a very meaningful conversation with your fellow council members.  Truthfully, these conversations are where the healing can begin - for all.

If you have already had this conversation with your fellow council members and you are in agreement about your shared desire to bring ACES science/information to the parent community, begin with your next set of questions.  Why?  For what purpose?  What do you hope to accomplish?  What format/vehicle will most likely help you accomplish what you set out to do?  How might you spread the word?  What's your social network within the council?  Who do they know and who knows that person that might help you bring in folks on the periphery of the school's social network?

You know this stuff is my wheelhouse.  You know I am eternally indebted to you.  I will help you...whatever you decide to do with moving this forward, I am happy to be whispering in your ear or standing by your side.  

You go, girl!  Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Slow...and KEEP IT REAL!  XO, Em

Emily:

THANK YOU so much! I had the meeting and just love your patient and wise approach.  First, I'm glad there's not a million known and obvious things because it's a reminder that it's a process to work through and relationship-building is important.  Somehow, oddly, that's a relief. 

I will admit I also thought survey/assess but also that we should try to find parent/teacher teams from other schools that have AWESOME parent engagement and just see if there are things we can copy or attempt while also addressing what we've not done well regarding parent engagement.

YOU OWE ME NOTHING. You, bringing you to this space, IS THE GIFT. It is needed and appreciated and important. Thanks for sharing your experiences and wheelhouse! It has helped! 
Cis

P.S. Remembering the "why" of it is especially helpful... the kind of obvious thing that is often overlooked and I know that and almost did it myself. SO THANK YOU!!!

Hello Cissy,

Congratulations for stepping up with your daughter on the School Council!

For starters, a lot of times the way the Council works and a desire to be a team player are the ‘systemic problems’ we hear so much about and some of the highest hurdles to overcome. I encourage you to learn the School Council’s approved‘Bylaws/Rules of Order’  inside and out if you want to be fair, win some debates, and create lasting changes in school policy.

With that being said,'Robert’s Rules of Order'  is the most common parliamentary authority manual in America. It’s approved for most School Boards, City/County Commissions, and State level Councils. If approved, the Chair should always have a copy at the meeting for reference.  If they’re not approved, it’s always considered very persuasive based on fairness. You can also request a'point of order'  during the meeting.

You might want to start by locating the current edition (your library may have one) and please try to read it from cover to cover; it’s worth the extra effort!

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that sometimes you just have to roll up your sleeves and do some of the work [before] the other folks can see the picture in the puzzle or the puzzle in the picture, whichever the case may be.

I’ve seen way too many well intentioned people get silenced without getting a legitimate answer to their questions because there was no pending motion on the floor that has to be answered before moving on.

If you and your daughter are both voting members of the School Council, please consider getting your issues (questions) on the agenda. Then you both can alternate ‘making a motion’ and ‘seconding that motion’  so the entire Council will have to formally vote on the answer to your 'pending question’.  The outcome of the vote will then have to be published in the meeting minutes.

"A good answer always starts with a good question".

Much like the U.S. House Resolution 443 that passed recently; preliminary debates have to be won first and then we can move on to what should be done next.

For some, "They will start to see the light, only when they begin to feel the heat."

Good Luck to you and your daughter on the School Council!!!

James Gallant, Marquette County Suicide Prevention Coalition