Links:
The Black Star Project's website:
Black Star Journal:
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| | Education Research Report
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL Friday, April 19, 2013 Schools seeking to boost parental involvement will need to tailor their approaches to match parents' differing views and concerns, according to a new report from Public Agenda. The report, " Ready, Willing and Able? Kansas City Parents Talk About How to Improve Schools and What They Can Do to Help," indicates that parental involvement means very different things to different parents, with some drawn to advocacy and school reform while others are more comfortable participating in time-honored tasks like helping with school clubs, sports and bake sales. While the research, underwritten by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, explores the views of Kansas City parents, it also echoes findings from a previous Public Agenda national study and raises important questions for education leaders nationwide. Parents surveyed are divided on what kind of parental involvement will do the most to strengthen public schools: 52 percent say it is improving the quality of parental involvement at home versus 42 percent who say that it is getting parents more directly involved in running schools. Parents are also split on whether better teachers (27 percent chose this), more money (34 percent) or more parental involvement (34 percent) would do the most to improve their own children's school. Just over half (51 percent) of the Kansas City region's parents acknowledge that they could be more involved at their child's school if they tried harder, though parents are divided on how they prefer to be involved. Many parents (27 percent) say they could help out more in traditional ways at the schools their children attend and nearly a third (31 percent) seem ready to embrace broader roles in shaping how schools operate and advocating for policy reform. Some parents (19 percent) are primarily looking for more guidance from their schools on how to help their own children succeed. In addition to exploring the similarities and differences among parents, the report includes a set of concrete and practical measures that education leaders can employ to engage parents in more effective ways.
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| Join some of the most dedicated and acclaimed scholars, educators, lecturers, and workshop facilitators who have made and continue to make a great impact on the success of our children by addressing their specific needs.
July 19-21, 2013 Omega World Center 3951 Snapfinger Parkway, Decatur, Georgia (outside of Atlanta, Georgia)
Click Here to see an excellent video on Black homeschooling Click Here to learn more about The Liberated Minds Black Homeschool and Education Expo . |
| Open a Savings Account
for Your Child During
Money Smart Week!!!
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| Honor A Great Parent at Your School with The 2013 Black Star Project's Parent Of The Year Award  | | Previous Parent Of The Year Awardees. |
Dear Principal: It's time for the 4th annual Parent of the Year Award sponsored by The Black Star Project. This award is an opportunity for your school to acknowledge parents for doing their most important work. Recognizing outstanding parents encourages other parents to be more actively engaged in their children's education. Please use the 2 forms at the links below to rank your candidates, and submit your school's nominee for Parent of the Year Award. Ranking Form for Black Star Parent of the Year 2013: 1) Select and rank 10 parents from your school using criteria on Ranking Form. 2) Total each parent's score. Selection Form for Parent of the Year 2013 Nominee: 1) Fill out short Selection Form with basic data on highest scoring parent 2) Include brief statement about the parent's contribution to your school and/or to his/her child's education. (optional). Please mail your school's Selection Form for Parent of the Year Award to The Black Star Project, 3509 South King Drive, Suite 2B, Chicago, Illinois 60653 or fax it to us at (773) 285-9602 (and call (773) 285- 9600 to confirm receipt), or scan and email it to nathan@blackstarproject.org Please return Nomination Form ASAP-no later than Friday, May 10, 2013. Your school will receive a certificate to present to your Black Star Parent Of The Year at your graduation ceremony or during other appropriate occasions. The Black Star Project offers workshops for your parents through the Toyota/Black Star Parent University. For more information about scheduling these workshops to your school, please call our office at (773) 285-9600. Thank you for participating in this awards program. With your help we can create 'smart' communities that support students' academic achievement, and physical and emotional well-being by acknowledging the work of parents in their student's academic and social developmental success. Sincerely, Phillip Jackson Executive Director The Black Star Project |
Why Black Children Should Be Homeschooled  | | Photo provided by The Black Star Project |
Homeschooling is by far the best alternative for most black children. There are problems in public school for all children, but the institutional racism of traditional schools means that black children have the most to gain from homeschooling. Today 15% of homeschoolers are minorities, but that percentage should escalate rapidly as parents begin to realize the benefits of homeschooling compared to the tremendous harm of public schooling. Here's why: 1. Politicians sacrifice the black community over and over again. 2. Public schools are still segregated. 3. Public schools expect less from black students. 4. Private schools are not a solution. 5. Homeschooling solves a huge number of educational problems for black kids. And it is through developing those unique talents, in conjunction with the real education that homeschooling provides that black children will be able to overcome many of the hurdles that government has placed in their way.  | | Antonio Buehler |
Antonio Buehler works with homeschoolers to identify individual learning styles so parents can better tailor their homeschooling approach to their children's capabilities and needs. He also helps students who want to gain admission to a highly competitive college or university. Buehler's blog is http://buehlereducation.com/ Click Here to learn about National Black Home Educators Click Here to learn about Families of Color Using Homeschooling |
| "White, Asian and multi-racial students use the Internet for school more than Black, Native American and Latino students, according to the study."
Digital divide among CPS students, schools: study  | | Photo provided by The Black Star Project |
April 18, 2013 The vast majority of CPS middle school and high school students have access to the Internet, but only half of them regularly use it to do academic work. That is one of the more unexpected findings of a Consortium on Chicago School Research study on technology use among CPS students, released today. The report found a "digital divide" among students in different types of schools, with--perhaps not surprisingly--students at selective enrollment high schools, magnet schools and higher-performing schools using technology the most for school work. The culture of the school and the level of academic expectations appear to be the biggest factors driving technology use. Leadership is also key. "If principals are not strategic and emphasize use of technology, it can fall to the wayside," says Stacey Ehrlich, senior research analyst for the Consortium and an author of the study. Some of the access students have to the Internet is likely through smartphones, which is not the best way to do research or other school projects. However, Ehrlich notes that 75 percent of students reported having access to high-speed Internet, which is usually associated with a computer, rather than a cell phone. White, Asian and multi-racial students use the Internet for school more than black, Native American and Latino students, according to the study. |
| Come hear
Lisa Goring
speak on
Supporting Learners with Autism
Saturday, May 11, 2013
9:00 am to 11;30 am or
1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Fifth Third Bank
222 S. Riverside Plaza, 32nd Floor
Chicago, Illinois
Free - RSVP at 224.567.8573 |
| Rally and Organize to Stop the Violence in Chicago |
Wanted!!! A few good men and women to become Principals at Saturday University Candidates will: - Have Saturday mornings available
- Have bachelors degree or above
- Be proficient in math and reading
- Love working with children
- Establish good relationships with parents
- Have good people management skills
- Have good writing and verbal skills
- Have transportation to/from sites
A small stipend will be paid weekly to each principal. Please call 773.285.9600 for more information about this great opportunity! We have 20 free Saturday Universities operating in Chicago and in the west and south suburbs. Please call 773.285.9600 to register your child for free academic enhancement or for more information about bringing the Saturday University to your community. We need teachers and tutors for our sites. Please call 773.285.9600 to volunteer. |
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