Youngstown educators and parents celebrate at Stambaugh gala
YOUNGSTOWN
More than 450 parents of Youngstown City Schools students and 300 teachers were honored Friday evening for taking an active role in those children’s education.
The district’s 13th Annual Title I Parent Conference Friday at Stambaugh Auditorium celebrated the positive relationships parents have with the district. Teachers chose parent award nominees and vice versa, said Linda Hoey, the district’s chief of family engagement.
“A lot of parents here are parents that volunteer, that are communicating on a regular with the teacher to help to bring their children to their academic excellence,” she said. “When the teacher calls with any type of issue or concern or help they might need, they can call these parents and parents help and work with them.”
Similarly, nominated teachers are the ones who reach out to parents with positive news about their student, or to offer advice on their development or help them navigate the educational system, she said.
The hundreds of nominees also act as hard data when the district reports the outcomes of its engagement programs, Hoey said.
That level of engagement has grown each year, said district CEO Krish Mohip, who was one of several speakers during the Friday event. For events like Friday’s, the district might see 100 to 200 parents show, now it’s usually 700 to 800, he said.
“Parent meetings would, before, get one or two parents. Now I’m getting 50 to 60, sometimes in the hundreds,” he told The Vindicator. “And that’s making an impact. I can’t tell you exactly what it’s doing for student data, but you look at what we’re doing — we’re seeing improvements across the board in all subject areas.”
In his remarks, Mohip said Youngstown City Schools’ was the “most successful takeover” in the state’s history, citing better student behavioral reports and more students who are reading and learning math at grade level.
Read MORE in Saturday's VINDICATOR.