Sharing the Good News
Savita Katarya, the Diversity Council’s Education Program Manager, was part of a panel that delivered good news about student achievement at the school board meeting on June 16.
Savita was the only community partner on the panel, made
up primarily of educators, who presented the report to a standing-room-only
crowd. Audience members eagerly received the news of the district’s
successful efforts to raise the academic proficiency of all students—particularly
those attending schools that have recently underperformed on state standardized
tests in reading and math.
Savita reported on the district’s training program for parents, which features the Efficacy Institute’s “Get Smart” mindset for learning. The Diversity Council is coordinating this program on behalf of the school district. The program is funded by generous support from IBM and Mayo Clinic.
More than 400 parents (a quarter of whom are people of color) and other adults have already attended the “Get Smart” workshops, which are continuing during the summer and will resume in full force in the fall.
Savita reported on the creative outreach efforts taking place in neighborhoods, housing complexes, workplaces and houses of worship in order to spread the word to parents, with special focus on parents from underperforming schools and parents who face barriers to participating in their children’s education, such as immigrants who speak English as a second language.
The parent training is offered in Spanish and Somali, as well as English, in order to effectively reach immigrant parents.
Savita was also featured in a KAAL television news story titled “Rochester’s Get Smart Program.” See for yourself what all the buzz is about!
Congratulations to Savita for her stellar representation of the Diversity Council and our partnership in Rochester Public Schools’ five-year plan to close the achievement gap!
Check out our schedule of upcoming parent trainings. All sessions are FREE.
