TPS talks draw more parents

'This is pretty much the high water mark, ' TPS Assistant Superintendent Romules Durant says of the turnout. THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER Enlarge | Photo Reprints

More parents came to teacher conferences this year at Toledo Public Schools, an early and encouraging indicator in the district's move to K-8 schools.

Parent participation at fall conferences with teachers increased to 85 percent from 76 percent, according to TPS data. The increased attendance occurred as the district eliminated elementary and middle schools this year for K-8 buildings, which drew parents to the meetings either by stoking curiosity or being more welcoming.

"This is pretty much the high-water mark," Assistant Superintendent Romules Durant said of the turnout.

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Much of the increase appears tied directly to the elimination of middle schools. Those schools posted across the board poor attendance at parent-teacher conferences last year; most of the seven schools experienced major jumps in attendance this year.

East Broadway Middle School in East Toledo had the lowest turnout rate in the district last year. Of 470 eligible students, parents for only 127 showed up for the November conferences, according to school data, for a 27 percent attendance rate. This year, East Broadway Elementary had 420 eligible students, and parents for all of them attended.

Only 28 percent of DeVeaux parents showed up for the conferences last year, but 71 percent turned out this November. At Robinson, 71 percent attended this year, compared with 38 percent a year ago.

The switch to K-8 buildings provided a curiosity factor, Mr. Durant said, with parents eager to meet new principals and teachers. Parents might have felt more comfortable at the elementary buildings. And for some parents who had children at multiple schools in prior years, the move to K-8 buildings meant parents wouldn't have to skip one conference for another.

"The fact they are all in one house, when before they were split (helps)," Mr. Durant said. "It kind of helps for convenience."

Bonnie Herrmann, president of the TPS Parent Congress, said that middle school conferences were challenging for parents compared to elementary school meetings, as parents had multiple subject teachers with whom to arrange meetings. Ms. Herrmann hoped the turnout was a sign the district's transformation was having early success.

Not all the statistics released by the school district brought good news. Elementary schools such as Glenwood, Pickett, and Sherman, and girls' academy Rosa Parks had significant drops in parent participation. Glenwood, for example dropped from a reported 97 percent participation rate to 79 percent.

The spread of middle school students -- whose parents were not accustomed to going to the conferences -- to the elementary schools may have dragged down some of the rates, Mr. Durant said. And schools distributed student report cards early this year, instead of tying their release to parent-teacher conferences, removing an incentive for some parents to attend.

But Mr. Durant said the district hopes to boost the overall attendance rate for next year, as parents become more accustomed to the new schools.

Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086.

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