Parents for Educational Achievement for Kids (PEAK)

It has been a substantial challenge to engage parents whose children remain furthest from goal and are most affected by the achievement gap. For that reason, in July 2009, Stamford Achieves started the PEAK program to train parents in advocacy and engagement of the Stamford Public School System. Our goal is to create a core group of parents who can become forceful advocates for change.

Stamford Achieves has had success working with parents through its tutoring programs in community centers. So, we partnered with CTE, Yerwood Center, and the Boys & Girls Club to create PEAK. This has made it much easier to attract parents. Parent meetings are well attended by the very parents who are reluctant to participate in PTA or school events. There is a much greater comfort level in the community center environment.

At PEAK, we help parents understand the intricacies of the school system, show them how to participate in meetings at school, provide tools to help them encourage their children and work to get more parents involved. This program demonstrates to parents that they have a voice that can and should be heard.

The initial groups of parents have now become leaders and are in the process of recruiting and encouraging other parents to become more actively involved. We have scheduled a second series of training sessions beginning November 2009. Our aim is to significantly expand this group of parent advocates.

Accomplishments

The PEAK program was launched in July 2009 beginning with parents identified as potential leaders by community center directors. This initial group has been groomed by Stamford Achieves to become a core group of advocates for children caught in the gap. Stamford Achieves developed an educational series, provided babysitting and dinner during a five session series held Tuesday evenings at CTE. Graduates of this advocacy program have developed the next round of trainings, recruited 40 more parents and plan to turnkey the program with the support of Stamford Achieves staff and teachers. PEAK advocates plan to become involved in communications, reaching out to the underserved and underrepresented communities in Stamford. This program has demonstrated that parents of children farthest from academic goals – those caught in the “gap” – do care, are motivated and want to learn what they can do to make a difference for their children and ALL children in Stamford Public Schools.