Parents Learn to Be Partners

Program Helps Families Make Plans for College

Yvonne Liser expected that her son would attend college; she just wasn't sure how. Tuition can be like a second mortgage, raising the stakes for families who expect college graduates.

The expenses are coming earlier, too, with Liser shelling out hundreds of dollars on application fees for her son, Julien, 16, a junior at Bell Multicultural High School. He said he plans to apply to 10 schools, each with lengthy admission requirements. SATs, grades, scholarships, essays, financial aid and campus visits also require Julien's careful consideration.

So when Liser heard about Parents as Partners (PAP), a program that could help them plan for college, she gave it a try. What she found was an all-encompassing resource group that nurtured her understanding of parenting. "I didn't even know what skills I needed," Liser said of the mercurial nature of teenagers. "It's like a parental support group with lessons for people with teenagers."

PAP is part of the National Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC), a federally funded network bringing parents into the educational fold by eliminating stigmas, and pairing them with the administration and resources they need.

Research has shown a cause-and-effect relationship between parental involvement and student achievement. And principals and teachers recognize the importance of involved parents. "Parents feel embraced, and as full participants," said Lydia Blazquez, principal of Lincoln Multicultural Middle School, one of four schools where the program is offered.

But for many immigrant and low-income parents in D.C., getting involved is hard. Educational activism is trumped by financial constraints. And college may be seen as a privilege, too expensive for their modest earnings.

Maria Medina, a Latino mother from Ward 1, had long dismissed college for her children. With limited English-speaking skills, Medina had little contact with teachers and considered herself "incompetent" about public education. Under PAP, Medina was given the means to engage principals, teachers and educational specialists. She, like many other Latino participants, lauds the program, which taught her educational problem-solving techniques.

"Now I feel comfortable talking about progress and desire for my children to go to new heights," Medina said through a translator.

PAP started in San Diego as a bridge for Latino families to familiarize themselves with the U.S. educational system. It was brought to the District in 2004 in a similar capacity, said Lillian Perdomo, executive director of the Multicultural Community Service Center, who has fostered the program's growth. Research has shown that immigrants are at high risk for dropping out of school, but are also the ones with the most to gain when educators reach out. Perdomo aims to offer an even broader outreach by recruiting the predominately black student population.

"Other programs explicitly address cross-cultural connections," said Anne T. Henderson, a consultant and author of several publications on parental involvement in education. "Parents as Partners could do that well, but it's been a challenge."

In December, Perdomo presided over the program's seventh commencement. Fifty-four graduates, the District's largest class to date, strutted across the stage in accomplishment. For Perdomo, the night was a celebratory occasion but also a platform to reinforce the program's goals: increased African American participation -- only 10 of the graduates were English speaking -- and a larger outreach. Perdomo hopes to fill the 8,000-square-foot Bell-Lincoln Multicultural Center auditorium with graduating parents next year, roughly 1,500, despite a bare showing this time.

Participants are found largely by random phone calls to target groups and through parent-teacher conferences. Perdomo is seeking African American community leaders who can spread the word and teach classes.

While PAP works toward its goals, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has approved nearly $700,000 for three parental resource centers in wards 1, 3, and 8, spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said. The centers will help train parents to lead PAP classes, a vision of former superintendent Clifford B. Janey, Hobson said.