By Alex Davidson
The city Department of Education said it is hoping to increase parent involvement at each borough school by announcing its timeline and criteria for hiring new parent coordinators.
Michele Cahill, senior counsel to the chancellor for education policy, said in a letter to community leaders the department intends to hire the coordinators to increase outreach to parents, encourage parent involvement in students’ education and address parents concerns and inquiries. She said the coordinators will report to the principal and work a minimum of 35 hours.
“We believe that the parent coordinators will have a positive impact on our schools and will enhance each school’s ability to partner with parents in educating their children,” Cahill said in her letter. “Increasing parental involvement in the education of our schoolchildren and making our schools more parent-friendly are core elements of Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein’s Children First reform agenda.”
The parent coordinators will be trained at a new Parent Academy sponsored by the Department of Education, Cahill said.
Cahill said new parent support offices will be opening at the three new regional district offices, or learning support centers, in Queens to help parents have questions answered. She said the parent offices will be staffed by a team of regional parent support staff members who will work with the school-based parent coordinators.
The parent offices will be open six days a week and on two weekday evenings, Cahill said. She said parents can go to any of the support offices regardless of the location of their children’s schools.
The locations for the new sites will be:
Division 3, including Districts 25, 26, 28 and 29, at 30-48 Linden Place in Flushing and 90-27 Sutphin Blvd. in Jamaica;
Division 4, including Districts 24 and 30, at 28-11 Queens Plaza North in Long Island City;
Division 5, including District 27, at 82-01 Rockaway Blvd. in Ozone Park.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156
