Submitted by Granville Leo Stevens, Jan 27, 2007 19:56

Chancellor Klein's announcement regarding the creation and appointment of a Chief Executive of Parent Engagement could, if real, represent the beginning of a long-awaited and heretofore non-existent partnership with the fractured parent advocacy community. Even If we dismiss the expedient nature of the timing of the CEO announcement before the Council's Education Committee, and imagine that the Chancellor's commitment to this appointment is substantive based on its making it one of his "direct reports," the near insurmountable challenge will be the necessity of the appointee to establish an effective credibility not only with parents, but on behalf of parents in an administration that is characterized by a widely acknowledged "lock down" communications and top down management styles. This means that in order to meet the needs of parents or at least meet them on a mutually respectful basis, the Parent CEO must possess a metaphysical ability to balance her/his impressive indivdual stature against the Mayor's stringent requirement for a philosophic team unanimity and public face.

Notwithstanding this hurdle, the Parent CEO will then have the opportunity to reverse years of deliberately ineffective parent engagement, parent advocacy, parent technical support reincanations. It was generally known and the subject of jokes that such departments were deliberately headed by weak directors who reported to managers with bigger concerns and responsibilites than mere parents. A "real" Parent CEO, part of the Chancellor's cabinet and senior management team would reverse years of flawed policy and empower the incumbent internally to deliver for parents from diverse communities. Such strength would also be necessary to make sense in this period of reforms, change, decentralization and uncertainty that greatly concerns many parents. One would hope that the position would engender a greater sense of respect for parent input and partnership in the education of a a new and diverse student demographic.

While consulting with the public might be too much to expect, we would suggest that the Chancellor reach out to parents and true parent groups from all boroughs and communities and different generations. They may include Dr. Donald Smith, who headed up the Board of Education Commission on the Education of Children of African Descent, Dr. Edmund Gordon from Teachers College and the College Board (Emeritus Yale where he worked with Dr. Comer), David Jones- CSS, Sy Fleigel, NYSED Associate Commissioner Shelia Evans-Tranumn, NYU Prof. Pedro Noguera, AMEX Chairman Ken Chenault, Lt. Governor David Paterson, Prof. Norm Fruchter, Elizabeth Fong of Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Lee Llambelis PRLDEF, ASPIRA, Hispanic Federation, Regent Dr. Adelaide Sanford and others.

We would recommend and are hopeful that whatever selection/consultation process is utilized, it would result in the appointment of an individual possesing the qualities and credibility of Pedro Noguera; Galen Kirkland, former Executive Director of Advocates for Children who is currently a New York Assistant Attorney General; or veteran child, family, community advocate Geoffrey Canada who will be visited by Prince Charles in Harlem this weekend..

Thank you,

Granville Leo Stevens

INDEPENDENT PARENTS ORGANIZATIONS

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