CPPS’s work was recently featured in District Administration: The Magazine of School District Management in an article titled “Parental Engagement Pays Off”. Read the excerpt below, or read the full article online.

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In the Portland (Ore.) Public Schools, volunteers in Community and Parents for Public Schools (CPPS) created workshops in three Title I elementary schools to explain to parents in both English and Spanish how to help their children read successfully. From 25 to 38 percent of families in the designated schools consider Spanish their first language.

CPPS is one of 19 chapters in 11 states of Parents for Public Schools (PPS), a Jackson, Miss.-based organization that also advocates for more parental activism at higher district levels. “We believe it is crucial for parents to be involved in a way that they understand the laws, what schools are required to do for their children, and the education product schools are delivering. And when things need to be changed, parents need to be part of making those changes,” declares Anne W. Foster, PPS’s executive director.

“Our goal is to have meaningful parent involvement at every level, not just helping your kids do homework but also in decision-making and leadership at the district level,” asserts Doug Wells, board president of Portland’s CPPS and parent.

Among other activities, CPPS holds an annual Parent Leadership Conference to teach parents “everything from how to get involved at the basic school level to how to become a school activist and get involved at the higher levels,” Wells explains.

He chairs a CPPS committee that reviews the district’s budget. CPPS leaders also meet bimonthly with Superintendent Carole Smith to discuss other “high level strategic issues,” like redesigning high schools, Wells says.

(read the full article online)