#HipHopEd Chat is a weekly cyber cypher (chat) where stakeholders within Hip-Hop and Education come together to discuss issues that impact the youth and adults within our local, national and global communities. #HipHopEd Chat is a virtual form of professional development for Educators, workshop for Parents and other Adults and a brainstorming session of Hip-Hop practitioners. Our #HipHopEd chats are every Tuesday from 9-10 EST. on Twitter.
What can we do as educators, administrators and students to make our schools more inviting for families, parents and the community to feel welcome? #HipHopEd
I’d always start with assessing the school culture and how it views parents. Does the school value parents and community members as valuable stakeholders, or as an extra onus to deal with? The answer can likely be found in how they engage (or don’t) with the school. #HipHopEd
There was a time when the school was birthed from the community and now the school has been dropped into the community and looks at the community as if they don’t belong #HipHopEd
Parent here. Member of @ParentCamp. Always join chats about family engagement when I can. Daddyhood will get in the way of me participating the whole time, but I'll catch up after. #HipHopEd
The same harmful and unjust practices our students face, were also in place when their parents were in school. Parent engagement is about healing. #HipHopEd
Parent engagement/involvement goes both ways. Need to check how the school is reaching out to engage with the parents. Does the school have an open door policy for parents? Is there a PTO/PTA? What events are there, if any? etc. #HipHopEd
We have to view family and community engagement as school enhancements and not a burden or something that we have to do but don't want to do! #HipHopEd
Parent here. Member of @ParentCamp. Always join chats about family engagement when I can. Daddyhood will get in the way of me participating the whole time, but I'll catch up after. #HipHopEd
I think it’s also informative how schools approach the parents of our most marginalized students. If a school kept telling me my kid was a problem, and offered no strategies for partnership, I would never feel welcome at that school. #HipHopEd
I was speaking with someone about the time they commit to their town PTO and how frustrating it is to encourage the work of inclusion within the K-12 system. They cited beauracratic standstills. #HIPHOPED
True family and community engagement has to be a mutual exchange. All of the interactions can't take place inside of the school. Where does the community come together in the hood? #HipHopEd
Exactly. Parent “disengagement” can many times originate from a cycle of trauma, where schools perpetrate symbolic violence against multiple generations of a family. I see this in so many of my student families. #HipHopEd
A parent is the child's first teacher and the block is the second so at best you may be third so you better respect the technique of those before you #HipHopEd
Last week I attended the PTO movie night. There were a lot of families! Snowcone truck was there part of the proceeds went to the PTO. Free water/drinks and popcorn! We watched Disney's CoCo very appropriate and culturally relevant to the students in the community #HipHopEd
We also have to ask ourselves: who is allowed to present their authentic self at schools? Who has to put on an act for whom within the walls of a school? Is the identity and culture of parents valued, or looked down on? It’s usually the latter in my experiences. #HipHopEd
Parents want to know that you care about their kids. It's nice when I get emails or have a conversation with parents and they end with telling me how much their kid likes my class. #HipHopEd
I attended my students first football game of the season on saturday! They lost, but they were so excited to see me! I got to meet the families I missed at meet the teacher night. One mom told me that her son talks about me all the time! Made my day. #HipHopEd
I also took my students into the community to study. We did units on ppl from the community and they would research them and do creative presentations on their findings from plays, to songs , to short stories. We also conducted oral histories of our elders
We have a dedicated family partnership coordinator (@NazPrepFamily) student success manager, career coach, intern mentor and advisor that are part of a Ss extended family and regularly communicate with Ss parent/guardians. #HipHopEd
I heard of this exact issue playing out in the Recovery School District of New Orleans. I have several friends who teach down there, and they saw schools ripped apart and torn from the community, all in the name of “academic performance.” #hiphoped
#HipHopEd a lot of trauma has to be undone with parents of chemistry students especially. Dry, boring and unattached science teachers disengaged a lot of past generations.
We hold monthly parent coffee events and have met on Saturday mornings at community/neighborhood spots. I’m also a fan of dining together and breaking bread. #HipHopEd
There was a time when the school was birthed from the community and now the school has been dropped into the community and looks at the community as if they don’t belong #HipHopEd
If the students don't feel connected to you as their teacher, why would think they would invite their family to something at school. Do you invite the people you love to places where you don't feel love? #HipHopEd
One year I joined the PTA and was later elected president. I recruited one of my student's dad who became my vice president. We received an award from Texas PTA....that was a dope year!!!! #HipHopEd
Children must know that parents/guardians believe in them enough to partner with their educators on their behalf. It's a crucial relationship for academic success. #Hiphoped
Students also complain about social studies being boring, and their parents had the same issues as well. We need to make all learning more engaging and culturally relevant. #HipHopEd
In my first district, Charles City County, I attend 6 different churches and every Pow Wow hosted by the Chickahominy Tribe. This helped the community know that I was dedicated and reliable. Meet people where they are if you want engagement. #HipHopEd
How accessible do schools make feedback sessions for parents (such as those at board of ed meetings, etc.)? You can’t say that you gave an honest chance for feedback if many parents have issues getting transportation to the meeting, or if it’s scheduled inconsiderately #HipHopEd
We had a career fair a few weeks ago and invited our families — our mission and ministry is to strengthen families and connect them to resources and career options. #HipHopEd
#HipHopEd I have students engage in projects that have them investigate and analyze issues in the community. Parents are more apt to trust the school's curriculum when seeing that.
And does it go beyond an "open door" policy? Saying it isn't enough. Are you out there? And is family engagement encouraged always, beyond conferences and events? #HipHopEd
Parent engagement/involvement goes both ways. Need to check how the school is reaching out to engage with the parents. Does the school have an open door policy for parents? Is there a PTO/PTA? What events are there, if any? etc. #HipHopEd
i’ve seen school leaders make deals with local orgs that need space for their afternoon/evening/weekend programs to keep the building animated—and bring in revenue!
#HipHopEd
Even with advancements in educational policies, laws, and initiatives, it is crucial that a teacher creates quality community engagement to enrich student learning! #GOODChat505
Engagement is about actively challenging problematic perceptions your colleagues hold about parents. Remember parents always care, they just might feel hopeless when their children experience the same ish they did #HipHopEd
It's important for schools to conduct internal reflection and not just bemoan why parents don't "show up." It's not a reflection on the parents. #HipHopEd
I’d always start with assessing the school culture and how it views parents. Does the school value parents and community members as valuable stakeholders, or as an extra onus to deal with? The answer can likely be found in how they engage (or don’t) with the school. #HipHopEd
i also know a school that hires recent alum to keep the building open and to engage students, families, and community members in evenings and on weekends #HipHopEd
The school I am student teaching at has Coffee with the Principal every first friday of the month. Parents and guardians can come meet with the Principal and discuss things with him! #HipHopEd@NCCAElementary
Community Organizations are gate keepers for the hood so if they don't feel welcomed as partners in the educational ecosystem they won't advocate on behalf of the school to the hood #HipHopEd
Parental engagement is more than just a 1 day deal to go and give hotdogs and sodas to participants but to really find ways of consistently reaching the community and parents. They need to know that you are in a partnership with them for more than a day. #HipHopEd
The community should BE the curriculum. What issues/dilemmas can we tackle? What neighbors can become our experts? How can we replace the flawed and disconnected textbook with livin experiences? @bluedotbrian#HipHopEd
i also know a school that hires recent alum to keep the building open and to engage students, families, and community members in evenings and on weekends #HipHopEd
Real changes happen when parents advocate. Get into the community and work with parents so they understand their rights, and the rights of their children. #HipHopEd#Advocacy
Engagement is about actively challenging problematic perceptions your colleagues hold about parents. Remember parents always care, they just might feel hopeless when their children experience the same ish they did #HipHopEd
It's imperative for us to be community responsive. By default, that makes us culturally responsive by knowing how unique people and different spaces are in the community. #hiphoped
Pushing back a tiny bit...used to live in the community of many of my Ss and folks were still skeptical of why I wanted to work in Urban Education.. or cared about social justice/inequities. Took longer to build trust but I’m ok with that. #HipHopEd
You have to be strategic in your approach to become a stakeholder in the community, you have to connect with the various brokers in the neighborhood so they can rep for you when it's needed most! #HipHopEd
Yes! It’s like the locker room in a gym. We prep, sketch out plans and then go out and take on the real thing. Classroom seat time should be minimal in great classes. #HipHopEd
I definitely agree with this. The community should know the ends and outs of the curriculum, even be part of organizing it with curriculum leaders. #HipHopEd
I love that accessibility! Good administrators need to be visible, they need to be vulnerable, and they need to seek input from the community without a predetermined agenda in their head. #HipHopEd
The school I am student teaching at has Coffee with the Principal every first friday of the month. Parents and guardians can come meet with the Principal and discuss things with him! #HipHopEd@NCCAElementary
Knowledge transcends walls. Community organizations are vital to student success. Teachers must incorporate community outreach and involvement in their essential questions, since essential questions address issues that affect students’ lives. #HipHopEd
indeed! i believe alum employment is an indicator and a quality of high-quality schools/youth programs.
(+ @HSRA_MN may or may not have been the school i was referring to :))
#HipHopEd
Yes! I love going to the church services of my students and families. I’ve learned a ton about how to make our services better and more culturally relevant. #HipHopEd
Books are initially judged by the cover and experiences of the past often create obstacles to be open to trust in the present. Your diligence opens doors for others who look like you :) #HipHopEd
Pushing back a tiny bit...used to live in the community of many of my Ss and folks were still skeptical of why I wanted to work in Urban Education.. or cared about social justice/inequities. Took longer to build trust but I’m ok with that. #HipHopEd
Absolutely loved working with @MotianMusic, bringing him to our school to work with students and a couple of our parents to shoot an antibullying video. Can't wait to see the finished project #WalkingTall#HipHopEd
True family and community engagement has to be a mutual exchange. All of the interactions can't take place inside of the school. Where does the community come together in the hood? #HipHopEd
We also have to acknowledge (as others have mentioned tonight) the difference between long term school culture, and short term school climate. If there is a long culture of marginalizing parents, one “meet and greet” event will not restore their trust in the school. #HipHopEd
You do not have to do work engaging people you are already a part of. If you have embedded yourself in their reality, once you move they move with you #HipHopEd
In general it should go beyond "open door." I try and be involved as much as I can. Go to community events like my students' athletic events, & PTO nights. #HipHopEd. I feel that at the school Im student teaching at goes beyond, playground is the neighborhood park.
Yes! Love this feature... at our school @NazPrepFamily helps family find resource, do taxes, has gone to housing court with them, even set up internet routers and been a mediator and run family restorative circles. #HipHopEd
It’s imperative for #HipHopEd (ucators) to consistently & continually invest in their communities in meaningful ways. Be visible. Be available. Relationships are vital. Read “Dreamkeepers” or “For White Folks...”for #reciepts@gjladson@chrisemdin
Two of my students stood up for me at their practice. One teammate was making fun of my last name, and my students said to cut it out, that's not funny etc. #HipHopEd just when I thought I wasn't making an impact, it turns out I was impacting them more than I realized <3
You have to be strategic in your approach to become a stakeholder in the community, you have to connect with the various brokers in the neighborhood so they can rep for you when it's needed most! #HipHopEd
People naturally rally to those who advocate for them. If a school suffers low parental involvement, it doesn’t advocate for them, nor their children. #HipHopEd
Two of my students stood up for me at their practice. One teammate was making fun of my last name, and my students said to cut it out, that's not funny etc. #HipHopEd just when I thought I wasn't making an impact, it turns out I was impacting them more than I realized <3
You have to be strategic in your approach to become a stakeholder in the community, you have to connect with the various brokers in the neighborhood so they can rep for you when it's needed most! #HipHopEd
Teacher Preparation programs must redesign their program components and curriculum to promote healthy family and community engagement for pre-preservice Ts #GOODChat505#HipHopEd
A stronger home leads to stronger children so in order to educate the whole child you have to determine what can your schools do to help build the family. #HipHopEd
Sometimes engagement with community means telling your comfort zone to get lost.
Get invited someplace you’ve never been by your community? Show up.
I know we all got stories... #HipHopEd
YES! I am currently student teaching. I learned about this, however there is always more to learn about how to have community and family engagement! #HipHopEd
Teacher Preparation programs must redesign their program components and curriculum to promote healthy family and community engagement for pre-preservice Ts #GOODChat505#HipHopEd
Often our bus drivers —- we had many complaints about the outsourced company we used and how rude they were... so, we trained parents to get CDLs and hired them to drive... feedback so far has been night and day! #HipHopEd
Yes and something has to be done to help people (especially men of color) navigate a career in educating our own neighborhoods. @nycmenteach has scratched at this for sure. #HipHopEd
B4 you can reach the parents and community, everyone in the school should be connected and collaborating 1st. Community members will get a feel that we are "one" versus a group of individuals who are pretending to be one. Do the math Ts n ELA Ts really know each other? #HipHopEd
Infuse the cultures of the families into your instruction as pedagogy making the parents and adults experts who can now come into your class with respect and confidence #HipHopEd
Living in a community and being a part of it are not the same thing. Are you taking the same risks? Are you invested in the same ways? #hiphopedhttps://t.co/2aPfNfKXfA
Exactly and therefore a different source of knowledge has to be regarded and respected and this is difficult for many educators and institutions #HipHopEd
A stronger home leads to stronger children so in order to educate the whole child you have to determine what can your schools do to help build the family. #HipHopEd
I used to work for Head Start some years back before I went into public schools...There was strong community involvement...We visited their homes and serviced the family as a whole...It was very impactful... #HipHopEd
Truth! However some engagement strategy is necessary if the school isn't lucky enough to already have that integrated relationship. If anything, this statement should be cautionary to those with a mature relationship. Foster it, feed it, keep it, at all costs #HipHopEd
Institutions of #HigherEd must be bold enough to @remakelearning teacher preparation programs that authentically integrate family and community engagement into the fabric of the program. #GOODChat505#HipHopEd
I used to work for Head Start some years back before I went into public schools...There was strong community involvement...We visited their homes and serviced the family as a whole...It was very impactful... #HipHopEd
You know you've made an impact from that conversation you had with that parent in the supermarket. How many of us shop where our parents shop? #HipHopEd
Tech nights, math nights, and any other nights are excellent ideas when the goal is parental and community engagement and not show what my school can do or what we have. #HipHopEd
In order to serve your community best, you have to know who you serve. Parental involvement is not an event, it’s an ongoing engagement of multiple perspectives. #HipHopEd
Too often the school, it’s staff & faculty are separate from the community. Their concept of who we are is based on their own experience or whatever horror shows up on the news. We gotta connect creatively, consistently and collectively. #hiphoped
For too long engagement has been thought of as families coming into schools... leaving the impetus on them. We need to be better at going to them, actively engaging in/supporting the community-at-large, and showing how genuinely invested we are beyond the school walls. #HipHopEd
How open are schools to a “PD exchange”? It seems we live in an era where degrees are gatekeepers, and schools reject PD unless it comes from someone with a long line of letters after their name. The most gifted PD facilitators don’t need a degree to make their case. #HipHopEd
Teachers post positive referrals on Twitter, & what students are learning for all to see. Positive referrals are read out loud during the morning news. Later that day, the Principal comes to the classroom celebrates the student & takes them to get a special prize #HipHopEd
Take neighborhood walks and snap pictures of the neighborhood and create collages inside of the school so students see themselves inside of the school walls #HipHopEd
Teacher Educators must transform their teaching practices to incorporate school, family, community partnerships in their courses. #GOODChat505#HipHopEd
How open are schools to a “PD exchange”? It seems we live in an era where degrees are gatekeepers, and schools reject PD unless it comes from someone with a long line of letters after their name. The most gifted PD facilitators don’t need a degree to make their case. #HipHopEd
If I have negative thoughts/feelings about school from when I was a kid I may transfer that to my child’s school especially if it’s in the same/similar community. School leaders need to consider this when thinking “engagement/involvment” #HipHopEd
I’d also say engaging non-profit community organizations into the classroom and curriculum (for example, designing a solution to a problem posed by one of our partners led to designing a solution for them) #HipHopEd
Who are you thinking of involving in the exchange? Doing a PD next month on #dtk12 type of stuff and I'm interested in keeping it as un-academic as possible #HipHopEd
Remember when I stayed at school till 7pm to record tracks for our custodian’s mixtape. He brought his whole crew through! Students were so hype. On his way out he said “I wish I had this when I was in school” #HipHopEd
How open are schools to a “PD exchange”? It seems we live in an era where degrees are gatekeepers, and schools reject PD unless it comes from someone with a long line of letters after their name. The most gifted PD facilitators don’t need a degree to make their case. #HipHopEd
Agreed. My point was that a focus on community immersion is more effective than engaging people who are emotionally and psychologically disconnected #HipHopEd
It’s a small, but critical investment for a school to make. Arrange for after school services that involve things like job training or networking opportunities. The investment pays dividends, as parents become more engaged, and in turn, so do their children. #HipHopEd
Teachers post positive referrals on Twitter, & students learning for all to see. Pos. referrals are read out loud during the morning news. Later, the Principal comes 2 the classroom celebrates the student & rewards them w/ a special prize #HipHopEd@NCCAElementary#LoveatNCCAE
Some practical things educators can do now ... Name areas in your class the neighborhoods where kids live. Table groups were “Warner Park,” “Packers” “Bluff” etc ... @chrisemdin#HipHopEd
If I don’t think school really played a part in making me successful when I was a student I may be thinking the same about my child’s school. School leaders have to keep that in mind #HipHopEd
I love that @kingJames school @IPROMISESchool offers free GED classes and other parent education programs to help parents become employed #HipHopEd it's a family goal of education parent is every child's 1st teacher
In reply to
@chrisemdin, @KingJames, @IPROMISESchool
It’s imperative for #HipHopEd (ucators) to consistently & continually invest in their communities in meaningful ways. Be visible. Be available. Relationships are vital. Read “Dreamkeepers” or “For White Folks...”for #reciepts@gjladson@chrisemdin
Often our bus drivers —- we had many complaints about the outsourced company we used and how rude they were... so, we trained parents to get CDLs and hired them to drive... feedback so far has been night and day! #HipHopEd
Teacher Educators’ biases, stereotypes and lack of perceived importance about family and community engagement hinders the learning of their pre-service teachers. #GOODChat505#HipHopEd
Yes! With many faculty members--if they even live within the comm they teach in--they're looking 4 ways "out", so they aren't seeing/seeking 2 see what's happening at the core of the community in order 2 help create a better educational environment. #outofsightoutofmind#hiphoped
Too often the school, it’s staff & faculty are separate from the community. Their concept of who we are is based on their own experience or whatever horror shows up on the news. We gotta connect creatively, consistently and collectively. #hiphoped
Credentials can be obtained but the “it” factor goes beyond pedagogy. You have to identify and attract some school personnel from the community #HipHopEd
On our last day of PD prior to the 1st day of school. We did a bus tour of the neighborhoods our school serves. The school I student teach at is a partial magnet & anyone in the community can go there. My school serves students from all walks of life. It was eyeopening #HipHopEd
Do you have any stories about how that has shown up in your work / what's a potential resolution? A school I'm working with is focusing on parent involvement as a communication breakdown and I think this is a great reframing of it #HipHopEd
Teacher Educators’ biases, stereotypes and lack of perceived importance about family and community engagement hinders the learning of their pre-service teachers. #GOODChat505#HipHopEd
My school is located across the street from the projects and I have quite a few colleagues who are afraid to go out to their cars unless they are in a group...We had a shelter in today due to a shooting 2 blocks away... #HipHopEd
#HipHopEd Do schools take advantage of what communities have 2 offer... barbers, beauticians, small businesses, community organizers, religious leaders...?
This, to me, exposes a major note of hypocrisy in many teachers who play the “blame game” with students. If you as a teacher are too afraid to venture into a neighborhood, how can you have contempt for a student who has to live in that neighborhood every single day? #HipHopEd
#HipHopEd Do schools take advantage of what communities have 2 offer... barbers, beauticians, small businesses, community organizers, religious leaders...?
Pre-service teachers should not just have one course focused on creating family and community partnerships, yet that is that case at most institutions of #HigherEd#GOODChat505#HipHopEd
It’s a small, but critical investment for a school to make. Arrange for after school services that involve things like job training or networking opportunities. The investment pays dividends, as parents become more engaged, and in turn, so do their children. #HipHopEd
