Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

People for Education:

• engages parents to become active participants in their children's education
• encourages parents to actively participate as engaged citizens in the public education system
• advocates for improvements in the education system that will benefit children and youth
• monitors the education system through participatory research and policy analysis
• educates parents and policy makers about the impact of education policy on children and youth
• works to increase public support for public education

History of Organization

Founded in 1996, People for Education (PFE) is an independent, parent-led organization working to improve public education in Ontario’s English, French and Catholic schools. PFE began as part of the parent association at a downtown Toronto school and has grown to become a provincial organization with links to communities across Ontario. In 2004 People for Education became a registered charity.

Accolades and Accomplishments

• 2008 Vital Idea Award 2005 Vital People Award, Toronto Community Foundation, (Annie Kidder)
• 2005 Outstanding Contribution to Education, OPC
• 2005 CTF Public Education Advocacy Award
• 2004 OTF Fellowship Award
• 2002 Greer Memorial Award from OTF
• 2001 Caretaker of the Commons Award from the Coalition for Social Justice
• 2001 Ontario School Library Association Award of Merit
• 2001 Parent Action Network Award for community activism
• 1998 Friend of Yorkdale Adult Learning Centre
• 1998 OSSTF Lamp of Learning Award

“Within the field of education in Canada, we are just beginning to understand how to harness the potential of the web to engage and inform the field. People for Education is in the forefront and one of the few organizations in this country that is focusing on knowledge mobilization for parents.” - Canadian Education Association

“The leadership demonstrated by People for Education to support parents and public education in Ontario schools over the past number of years has been exemplary.” - Ontario Physical and Health Education Association

“People for Education consistently demonstrates sensitivity as to how issues relate to newcomers and develops materials and strategies that meet the needs of a range of communities. SWIS agencies across Ontario regularly use their resources, engage them for workshops, and participate in their network.” - Settlement Workers in Schools

Programs

>Toronto Parent Toolbox – a resource guide or community agencies working with school-aged families
>Parents Supporting Parents – Speakers, workshops, webinars
>Schools at the Centre (Online community and discussion board)

This organization works in four main areas:

• Providing parent support to help parents become actively involved in their child’s education;
• Providing clear, accessible information to the public regarding education;
• Doing research - including publishing an Annual Report on Ontario Schools;
• Bringing a parent voice to Ministry of Education working tables and the Partnership table.

The programming we offer is based on responding to people’s needs – often that means going to them. We balance one-on-one support (answering parents’ questions on our parent support phone line) with group support through community workshops/meetings and webinars (seminars offered online).

Through our online community, we answer questions and provide support and information to individuals. Because these discussions are public and on the internet, they are viewed by hundreds of others in similar situations. In this way, we are able to help large numbers of parents. People can also post discussions and receive advice from other parents.

Our Annual School Survey engages both principals and parents to gather information and share stories about their school. The Annual Report on Ontario’s Schools is produced using data from these surveys. It is an audit of the education system illustrated by comments from schools. Parents, school boards and a raft of organizations use the report as a tool to monitor changes and advocate for improvements. Our parent tip sheets are published in 12 languages and available from our website. We disseminate information through the media too. Our Executive Director, Annie Kidder, is regularly sought for comment and analysis re education issues.

Toronto Parent Toolbox – a resource guide or community agencies working with school-aged families

The Toronto Parent Toolbox is a resource guide for community agencies working with school-aged families. To date, it has been distributed to over 200 community agencies across Toronto, including Parent and Family Literacy centres and public libraries. 

The Toolbox materials are contained in a binder, with each section marked by tabs.  The binder format was used so that agencies can easily photocopy the tip sheets and other materials for distribution to their clients.

The first section of the Toolbox is a resource guide, with contact information for Toronto community organizations and agencies. The second section of the Toolbox is a series of tip sheets for parents, in English and eleven other languages (Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, and Urdu).   Tip sheet topics include:

• Who Does What in Ontario’s Education System
• Starting School
• Homework
• Parent-Teacher Interviews
• EQAO Testing
• High School Courses and Choices
• Solving Problems at School
• Special Education
• English as a Second Language
• Support Programs for Struggling Students
• Understanding the Safe Schools Act

Funding and Program Partners

The Ontario Trillium Foundation has generously supported the inception of this program (2003), and the Toronto Community Foundation provided a strategic grant (2009).  We are seeking funding which will enable us to continue the delivery of this program.

Program Impact

Over 200 community agencies and Parenting and Family Literacy Centres are now using the Toronto Parents’ Toolbox to provide support to parents, particularly Toronto’s thousands of newcomer parents. Currently in Toronto schools, ethnicity, income and race are among the key predictors of success in school. When parents have the tools they need to be engaged in their children’s education it helps close the achievement gap and reduce the impact of socio-economic status on students’ ability to succeed in school.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“Every aspect of education is challenged by dramatic demographic shifts, increasingly diverse student populations and, the demand for innovative and creative learners.”

“The 2008 Toronto District School Board Parent Census indicates that:

• The largest proportion of families, are in the lowest income category (below Statistics Canada’s low-income cut-off (LICO)) and half of all students in the JK-Grade 6 population are from lower income families illustrating the challenge of meeting educational needs in the context of the widening income gap between Toronto’s young learners.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Participant Vignette

“This is an important and valuable tool. It is the best resource I’ve seen, and saves time and effort when searching for information to assist parents. The multi-lingual tip sheets for parents will be used a lot.” Vinolia Sikakane is an instructor with the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre (PFLC) at Bala Avenue Community School. The PFLC provides early literacy programs for pre-school children, supports families in becoming familiar with the education system, and provides information about community resources available to them. Vinolia was thrilled to receive the Toronto Parent Toolbox. Her work with newcomer families has made her aware of their need for accessible information about the school system and their role in it. She is grateful that the Toronto Parent Toolbox provides those parents with the exact kind of information they are looking for, and provides staff with the tools and information they need to support the families they work with.

Parents Supporting Parents – Speakers, workshops, webinars

People for Education provides training and support for parents so that they can be effectively involved in their children’s education, and for educators so that they can work effectively with parents. We provide workshops and speakers for parent organizations, community agencies and professional associations.

Our speakers, webinar and workshop leaders can address a wide variety of school-related issues, from school to home relationships, building positive relationships between principal and school council, to homework and special education support.

• Parental Engagement - what are the most effective forms of parent engagement? What the research tells us about why it’s important for parents to be involved?

• Advocating for Your Child, Your School, Your Community - at different levels of the education system, parents can encounter situations where they must act for their child's interests, or for their school's interests. What strategies work best?

• How School Councils can Make a Difference - what strategies can your school develop to increase parent participation and enhance the impact your school council can have on your community?

Funding and Program Partners

The Royal Bank of Canada Foundation and the Atkinson Foundation have generously supported this program (2006 to present), and the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation provided a strategic grant (2007, 2008).

Program Impact

Over 500 parents from marginalized communities have participated in workshops led by People for Education. They live in high needs neighbourhoods including Malvern, Jane-Finch and Regent Park. The workshops provided them with the information and tools they need to be engaged both in their own child’s education and the broader public education system. In evaluations, participants described the sessions as useful and valuable and 95% of them felt more confident about participating in their children’s education.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

• “Half of Toronto District School Board students in JK to Grade 6 are from lower income families.”
• “Only 5% of children in the city’s neighbourhoods with the highest numbers of 6-12 year olds have after-school programs.”
• “An educated city is a successful and prosperous one. Yet, dramatic changes in demographics and growing levels of economic disadvantage are creating accessibility and affordability issues for students of all ages. Too many Torontonians are being left behind.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Participant Vignette

Pablo Joseph, chair of the school council at First Nations School, contacted us for help in increasing parent involvement at the school. Our Community Development Coordinator worked directly with Pablo and the parents for a year, and has an ongoing relationship with the school: “I am happy to talk about how the parents of First Nations School have benefited from our relationship with People for Education. I want to thank you personally for the support you offered our parents and our school. Your assistance has helped us turn our situation around in a short amount of time. Yes, we’re just beginning and there are still challenges. However, we have managed to address all of the major issues parents have and put forth solutions. In the first part of the school year, we have accomplished more than in some years past combined. I know we got far more value, as parents and a school, out of the personal contact we had with you. That is what works best, especially with marginalized communities. You could have just said “come to a workshop”, but instead really went beyond the call of duty. This work demands more than workshops. You made everyone feel included. You helped to relieve anxieties and fears and brought wisdom, knowledge and experience to the group. You are part cheerleader, part confidante, part facilitator and referee! You put a kind, compassionate, and personable face to it!”

Schools at the Centre (Online community and discussion board)

This interactive website (http://schools-at-the-centre.ning.com/) is a place where our staff and volunteers provide support, information and training to parents and school communities about topics related to education/schools. It is designed to appeal to, and be accessible to, normally hard-to-reach audiences, particularly newcomer parents, parents just entering the system and parents of students with special needs. 87% of Canadians have broadband internet access at home so this is becoming an ideal way to reach out to families in their homes.

Parents can post discussion questions and begin receiving answers, usually within 24hrs of asking a question. The questions and answers remain on the website for others to read at a later date, providing an excellent and accessible resource available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The discussions are moderated by staff and volunteers. Parents are warmly welcomed into our “Online Community”. In the discussions, parents also benefit from the advice/support they receive from one another and by sharing their experiences as well as different approaches to problem solving. There is often not one “right answer” but many possible solutions.

Funding and Program Partners

The Atkinson Foundation, the Ministry of Education, the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation and the CAW Social Justice Fund have generously supported this program since its inception (2007 to present).

Program Impact

The People for Education website receives over 56,000 unique visits each year. Over 6,000 parents visited the multi-lingual tip sheets for parents available in 12 languages, and many more access the Frequently Asked Questions section. We have a separate online community, which, in just over a year, has grown to nearly 600 members, and receives over 4,000 visits of its own per month. There are currently 82 active discussions in the online community, with topics ranging from the practical (“What’s your great parent inclusion idea?”), to the more philosophical (“How do we define success?”).

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

• “An educated city is a successful and prosperous one. Yet, dramatic changes in demographics and growing levels of economic disadvantage are creating accessibility and affordability issues for students of all ages. Too many Torontonians are being left behind.”
• “Every aspect of education is challenged by dramatic demographic shifts, increasingly diverse student populations and, the demand for innovative and creative learners.”
• "Toronto now has a picture of how ready its young children are to start school, and a disproportionate number in some high-risk communities continue to experience multiple challenges.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs® , 2009)

Participant Vignette

Michelle Andreoli is a mother and the Catholic School Advisory Council chair of a JK-8 catholic school in North York. She posted a discussion question in our online community asking for help to change the existing practice at her school where only the “best” athletes made the sports teams. “ I really appreciate everyone’s comments and suggestions, I am new to this site and I am finding it very helpful already!” Oct. 22/09 “I thought I would just give everyone who was so helpful in this athletics discussion an update on where our school is on this. We have had a series of meetings - teachers/coaches and principal, and Executive CSAC committee and principal. The principal finished the meeting by letting everyone know what the course of actions will be to enhance our athletic and non-athletic activities, such as an athletics bulletin board, updates in our monthly newsletter, athletics page on the school website, and asking more parents to be involved in our athletics program to help enhance the program. There will be a committee to start to create the Athletics Handbook. These are great strides and I am very pleased with the leadership the principal is taking and that he sees this as a necessary process. Overall this is great stuff! Thank you all for your help and advice and I hope I this also helps others!”