“Knowledge is power.”
--Sir Francis Bacon
Approximately three out of every five children in the Rochester City School District won't graduate from high school. Despite the ever-changing reform models, the constant school and district restructuring, the third highest per pupil spending in the state, the Rochester City School District has been unable to produce any real, sustainable improvement for its students.
There is hope. Research now confirms what common sense has long told us: more than any education reform, schools need communities to be successful. When families and communities are involved in schools, students of all socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to do better in school, stay in school longer and enjoy learning more. And in an era of escalating education costs and spiraling performance, community and family involvement also provides a vital check on the status quo.
Despite the benefits of public involvement in schools, significant barriers exist for the Rochester community, barriers that would be unheard of in our neighboring suburban districts. The Rochester Fund works to overcome these barriers for urban families and empower the public with information and training to make real sustainable change in our schools. We work in three major areas:
Recommended resources on community-based school reform:
Who’s Really in Charge: the Education Establishment
Written by the Center for Education Reform, this article gives a good introduction to the education establishment and the important role of parents and citizens in school reform.
A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement
A collection of research on the impact of school-family partnerships provided by the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education.
Public Agenda’s Education Discussion Guide
The Public Agenda provides independent research and public polling on major policy issues. The Education Discussion Guide gives a good introduction to different perspectives on school reform.
© 2007-09 Rochester Fund for Educational Accountability.
