Strengthening Schools by Strengthening Families

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A Hidden Problem (continued from page 15) full time caseworker who speaks three African dialects and who could help overcome a multitude of cultural misunderstandings. The school’s attendance rose from about 89 percent in 2005 to more than 93 percent in 2007–08, one of the best in the district and in line with the citywide average. Torres thinks he will be able to reach 95 percent, close to the rate that schools achieve in suburban communities. While it may be impossible to get the stratospheric attendance that schools in highincome neighborhoods enjoy, he says, that’s no reason not to try. “It’s really about making a commitment that you want attendance to improve,” he says. “People say there is nothing we can do about attendance. That’s nonsense.” Again invoking his family, he mentions that his dad was a community organizer and was never afraid to ask people for help. “What happens with a lot of principals is that their own egos hold them back,” Torres says. “But you can do this with community-based organizations or with resources you have in the building. You would be surprised.” Watching his daily student numbers climb, against all odds, has been a victory, he says. “That’s the reward I receive.” ❖ Offering More Than Academics (continued from page 37) in the near term, as the state deals with an economic recession. Officials at the Children’s Aid Society emphasize that schools could benefit from existing services already provided <strong>by</strong> other city and state agencies—ensuring that more children and families have access to them. There is a possibility of more state money over the long term. Litigator Michael Rebell, who led the Campaign for Fiscal Equity’s successful lawsuit to equalize state education funding, has launched a new project, the Campaign for Educational Equity, to fight for the extra social supports needed to put the state’s poor students on the same footing as their richer counterparts. His group includes the author Richard Rothstein, who has documented the myriad ways that poor children fall behind, and is the intellectual light of the national “broader, bolder” coalition pressing for more services to close the achievement gap. Rebell says he hopes that the state legislature and the governor will see the wisdom of these programs, even in these tight budget years. If not, he says, he is not afraid to sue. “I am not shy about saying if we need a few billion more to do this right, we will come up with a constitutional right of why it’s going to be done.” ❖ 48 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors wish to thank the scores of people who contributed their time and expertise to this report. The Department of Education’s attendance and social support systems are complicated and required hours of interviews to fully understand. While everyone we talked to was generous with their time, there were a number of people who deserve special recognition. Andaye DeLaCruz runs the Department of Education’s Youth Development staff at the Bronx Integrated Service Center and is responsible for helping principals manage poverty issues. She offered full access to her staff, including Antonio Guerrero, who patiently explained every nuance of the city’s attendance system, and Yousef Hattar, an attendance teacher who personally introduced us to the Bronx schools and their many challenges. We must also thank Ron Clayton, a manager of the city’s attendance database, who helped us obtain the numbers and understand their importance. We received crucial guidance from researcher Hedy Chang at the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University. And we would also like to thank the leadership and staff of the community organizations and schools profiled and discussed in the report. Finally, this project would not have been possible without the generous support of the Child Welfare Fund, the Ira W. DeCamp Foundation, the Sirus Fund and the United Way of New York City.
Also available from the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School ChIld welFare watCh, volume 16 HOMES AWAY FROM HOME: FOSTER PARENTS FOR A NEW GENERATION The city’s foster care system has made significant headway helping create family homes for young people who once would have spent months or even years in group homes and residential treatment centers. But city officials and nonprofit leaders face tremendous challenges in creating effective support systems, crisis teams and training programs that can help foster parents care for these children. The report documents how foster parents are adjusting to their increasingly demanding role, and how the system is struggling to meet their needs. Published Summer 2008 ChIld welFare watCh, volume 15 AGAINST THE CLOCK: THE STRUGGLE TO MOVE KIDS INTO PERMANENT HOMES New York City is charging a growing number of families with abuse and neglect, leaving Family Court overwhelmed and more children spending longer periods in foster care. The number of abuse and neglect filings against parents <strong>by</strong> city attorneys has leapt a remarkable 150 percent since the child abuse murder of 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown in January 2006. On the two-year anniversary of the her death, Child Welfare Watch explores the challenges of moving the city’s foster children into safe, permanent homes quickly, a decade after federal laws sought to improve foster care systems nationwide. Published Winter 2008 These and other publications are available electronically on the Center for New York City Affairs website, www.centernyc.org. To order printed copies, or to join our mailing list, please call 212.229.5418 or email centernyc@newschool.edu. Center for New York City Affairs on the radio Feet In two worlds: tellIng the storIes oF today’s ImmIgrants A collaboration between the Center for New York City Affairs and public radio, Feet in Two Worlds brings new voices into the discussion of immigration, globalization and transnational culture. Through training and mentoring immigrant journalists, the award-winning Feet in Two Worlds project gives public radio listeners a unique window into the lives of today’s immigrants. In collaboration with WNYC New York Public Radio, Marketplace from American Public Media, WDET-Detroit and Latino USA, we produce news features and documentary radio. On our blog, we generate daily reporting that focuses on the presidential campaigns and provides insight into the political engagement of ethnic and immigrant communities across the nation. To learn more, visit www.feetin2worlds.org, or go directly to the blog at www.feetin2worlds.wordpress.com.
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Page 5 and 6: Not surprisingly, these are the sam
Page 7 and 8: lessons and recommendations from th
Page 9 and 10: a hidden Problem In New York City,
Page 11 and 12: New York City parents have also lon
Page 13 and 14: ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WITH HIGH NUMBER
Page 15 and 16: NUMBER OF STUDENTS WITH AT LEAST ON
Page 17 and 18: SEVERE CHRONIC ABSENCE 3 Students w
Page 19 and 20: 2,731 1,380 1,525 10,025 4,989 16,7
Page 21 and 22: Students with 0 to 9 absences Numbe
Page 23 and 24: 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% ATTENDANCE IMPR
Page 25 and 26: SCHOOL WORKERS TOPS IN CALLS TO CHI
Page 27 and 28: didn’t know what was happening.
Page 29 and 30: In suburban and wealthier communiti
Page 31 and 32: With data collected for this report
Page 33 and 34: for the mom and uncle,” Campbell
Page 35 and 36: In cases where parents are more wil
Page 37 and 38: One of the things Kidwise’s leade
Page 39 and 40: lower than in comparable schools be
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