Amazing Press Conference and Rally!
This morning saw the official kick-off of the Parent Revolution, and it definitely started with a bang. Over 200 parents turned out to Gertz-Ressler High School, one of the highest performing charter schools in Los Angeles, to declare that the days of parents sending their children to failing schools are over. There was an incredible line-up of speakers; parents desperate to improve their own schools, community leaders like Fernando Espuelas, and even politicians who agreed it is time to hand over power to the parents.
Gertz-Ressler High was the perfect place to launch our revolution, for one simple reason. Gertz-Ressler is taking the same exact students whom LAUSD is failing- 97% are black or Latino, 95% qualify for free and reduced lunch- and sending 97% of them to college. That's right: 97%. And the most incredible part is that they aren't doing anything magic, just simple, common sense that others could easily replicate. They hold their teachers and administrators accountable. They have a small school with only 500 students, so students are held accountable as well. They stress real parental involvment, not just bake sales or magazine drives. Like Fernando Espuelas said today, "We know how to build great schools." It's inexcusable that we don't have more of them. And this is precisely what the Parent Revolution will change.
We will be posting video
clips, pictures, and other perspectives from various folks over the next
few days. For now, enjoy this great early morning coverage from Fox
Channel 11 News!
