Teachers association launches new program

Think of it as a partnership, a collaboration and a multifaceted program where students are the ultimate winners.

Several dozen Merced residents are taking part in a public engagement program shepherded by the Merced City Teachers Association. It involves parents, businessmen, community residents and educators in closing the achievement gap for some students.

"Students aren't just a test score," said Dora Crane, MCTA president. "We need to service the whole student. We need parent and community support."

The MCTA is using funds from a grant provided by the National Education Association to develop a program benefiting underachieving students. A main focus is involving parents who might have felt disenfranchised from education in the past.

Joel Knox, chairman of the Merced-Mariposa Uni- Serv Council of the California Teachers Association and a special education teacher at Sheehy Elementary School, has been involved in the public engagement program now in its second year.

"We are trying to engage all vested interests as much as possible," Knox said. "At meetings last year we had a lot of input and now we need to make it manageable. The major message we got is we need to coordinate better and collaborate."

Last year the MCTA held community forums at schools in North Merced and South Merced. The teachers association is partnering with Merced College, UC Merced, the Merced Union High School District and its teachers association on the public engagement project.

"We are in the process of putting together the specifics that came from these forums," Knox said. "Some parents need to learn how to navigate the school bureaucracy."

Crane said the MCTA-sponsored forums started a small movement and parents are becoming more involved in programs at local schools.

"We need to keep the progress going and build on that," Crane said. "It's much harder than it was 30 years ago. Now both parents are working but our schools still have the same needs."

Susan Walsh, a member of the Merced City School District Board of Education, attended the CTA's North Merced program last year. Walsh said the engagement program is "such a shining star we can look at."

Walsh said it shows how various groups can work together for a good purpose.

Wendy May, a Cruick- shank Middle School eighth-grade core teacher of language arts and U.S. history, said a program goal is maintaining a welcoming and inviting school atmosphere for parents.

May went to Washington, D.C., for training in the NEA's public engagement program. May said every ethnic group, parents, business people and educators — a cross-section of Merced — are involved in the program.

"We need to educate parents on various ways to be involved in their students' school life at home and school," May said. "It's a partnership. It's been a challenge and hasn't been easy. There are a lot of small little groups that do wonderful things. They all have a common goal but need to work together instead of being isolated."

RoseMary Parga Duran, district superintendent, is glad the CTA is championing the effort.

"There is always room for improvement," Duran said. "We need to work harder in making parents feel more comfortable. There are important monthly things parents can volunteer for. We need to keep this in the forefront."

Reporter Doane Yawger can be reached at (209) 385-2407 or dyawger@mercedsunstar.com.