While
many Broward County parents insist schools be accountable for their
children's education, the Fort Lauderdale NAACP is creating a group this
weekend to hold parents accountable.
Capping decades of reforms, including the end of forced busing, or
"starbusting," the NAACP wants its Coalition of Black Schools
to make parents and others more involved in improving education for
black children.
"It takes a village to raise a child. The children were returned to
the village when starbursting ended; now it's time for the village to
assume responsibility for the children," said Janice Boursiquot,
education chairwoman for the NAACP.
The group will organize at 11 a.m. Saturday in the recreation center at
Joe C. Carter Park at 1450 W. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale near
Sunland Park Elementary.
The coalition of parents, students, community activists, civic and
church leaders will work to resolve issues affecting children in
predominantly black schools.
Average scores for black children lag behind white classmates' scores in
virtually every test across Broward and the state, although the gap has
shrunk slightly in recent years. For decades, minority children sat in
deteriorating classrooms, read poor-quality textbooks and did not have
access to challenging coursework.
Boursiquot, a social worker with the school district, was a member of
Citizens Concerned About Our Children, the minority activist group that
sued the school district over those issues during the 1990s.
One goal for the new group will be to monitor the district's progress in
erasing the inequities, she said.
But even more important will be increasing minority parents' involvement
in education -- from helping a child with homework to sitting on school
district committees that advise administrators about policy.
The group will also lobby local and state government and advise citizens
on dealing with bureaucracies.
Another goal is to create programs to help black students with their
studies. One possibility would be to sponsor "learning teams"
of students who study together after school and on weekends.
For more information, call 954-474-8961.
Courtesy Sun-Sentinel www.sun-sentinel.com
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