Three views on the Commission report, beginning with the assessment of six parents who served on the panel and maintain Pittsburgh's children deserve a far better education

Sunday, September 28, 2003

By Bonita Allen, Nikki Durnil, Frances A. Hanlon, Richard G. King, Stephen A. Schillo and Garth J. Taylor

All parents agree on one thing: Our children are our highest priority. As parents, we don't stand by idly if our children are being harmed in any way. And we would do everything within our means to be sure that our children are given the chance to have the brightest possible futures.

This is why as parents, we believe the public institution we've entrusted to help build our children's futures is actually shortchanging them in far too many ways. The Pittsburgh Public Schools, we've learned, have been failing our children and the community. The overall system isn't working and it must be dramatically and fundamentally changed before it's too late.

	Forum: Weighing the Mayor's Commission report Al Fondy: With its negative, destructive, elitist perspective, the report is wrongheaded and useless Patrick Dowd: An appointed school board would be counterproductive John G. Craig Jr.: A scorching report on city schools makes enemies of allies An Editorial: Broken promise / The mayor's commission shows how to fix the schools More voices: Issue One -- Letters about the commission report Full report online Read the full report, including charts, graphs and statistics in .pdf format

A year ago, we were invited to serve on the Mayor's Commission on Public Education as the voice of parents. Although we came from many different walks of life, diverse ethnic backgrounds and political views, it was easy for us to find common ground in our collective belief that all children deserve to receive an education that will equip them to succeed. Despite the dedication and daily contributions of professionals across the district, we found that the current system isn't delivering on its promise. With that, we started a yearlong commitment to get to the bottom of these issues and find real solutions.

As parents with children in Pittsburgh's schools, and as members of the Mayor's Commission on Public Education, we are calling on this entire community -- and parents in particular -- to take notice and to take action. The commission's report -- "Keeping the Promise: The Case for Reform in the Pittsburgh Public Schools," which we willingly and wholeheartedly contributed to -- has rightly directed this community's attention to one of its most critical issues: Our children's education and how it is leaving them unprepared to face the future.

The performance statistics in the Pittsburgh Public Schools are appalling: More than half of our students cannot read or do math at their own grade level and a quarter of them fail to graduate. As grim as these statistics are, they are even more disheartening for African-American and low-income students.

Our children are capable of so much more, and so are we.

A school system that is satisfied with itself simply because "all the children aren't failing; they're just not working at grade level" is not acceptable to us as parents, or as Pittsburghers. We cannot allow thousands of our children to waste away their days without learning to read or add and subtract at a level where they can excel.

What can we as parents -- or anyone who is interested in the future of this city -- do about this situation? Plenty. For starters, read the commission's report. The executive summary was published in the Post-Gazette on Sept. 23. This shorter version, along with the entire report, is also online at www.educationcommission.org. Share this information with your friends, family and neighbors so that everyone who lives in this area understands the depth of the problems and the urgency of solving them.

	This was written by Bonita Allen of Squirrel Hill, Nikki Durnil of Sheraden, Frances A. Hanlon of Overbrook, Richard G. King of Carrick, Stephen A. Schillo of Squirrel Hill and Garth J. Taylor of Garfield. They were among the 38 members of the Mayor's Commission on Public Education.

There is no time left for public bickering about politics and blame. It only distracts us from the most important task at hand: We need to make sure that all young people in this city have a fighting chance to get an education so they can succeed, both as individuals and as the next generation of our city's leaders.

In Pittsburgh, our children are paying the price and being left behind for every day of inaction. We know that our schools can be put back on track. We commend the district for the programs they have already put in place addressing many of the issues presented in our report. However, when we studied how other cities are succeeding, we learned that fundamental change requires significant and sustained involvement of parents and all community residents.

We believe that one of the most important recommendations in the report is the formation of an independent Citizens Alliance made up of local residents.

This group will be the voice of the community, actively pushing for the reforms agenda; supporting innovative programs already in place; serving as a watchdog of the school district; ensuring regular reporting and dialogue; and acting as a networking device to engage community partners in the whole effort to improve educational achievement in the public schools.

We are six parents representing five different neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Among us we have 16 kids, of whom 15 are students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. We are black and white. Professionals and at-home parents. Coaches and PTA volunteers. Republicans and Democrats. And one thing is certain: We're united in our concern for our children's future and we're channeling our energies, not into political volleying or senseless name-calling, but instead focusing on student performance and delivering on the promise of a better educational system.

And we urge you to join us today.

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