Education Advocacy in Urban Communities
“A person has truly become a PTA member when his circle of concern stretches
beyond his own child to include all children.” – Unknown
By Stella Y. Edwards*, Chairman, National PTA Legislative Committeebeyond his own child to include all children.” – Unknown
October is upon us. At National PTA, that means it is the Month of the Urban Child. This month’s campaign gives emphases to our education advocacy work as it relates to reaching communities where they are: in urban areas. National PTA comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family involvement in schools. While PTA members may be in agreement with the PTA mission overall, urban areas have a uniqueness that warrants a focus on the effectiveness of our education advocacy work in those areas.The beauty of the urban area is that it is as diverse as its citizens. This diversity, a broad range of backgrounds, religious beliefs, education values, and ethnicities, are unique characteristics that breathe life into the fast-pace, energetic, and close living style of the city!
I’ve had the pleasure of organizing in urban, rural and suburban areas. Regardless of the location in which the organizing work was conducted, the key aspect of my experience has been the importance of relationship building. First, you must build a relationship, develop trust, and address the community’s issue (not yours). Then you can begin to take action. You must first show a community that you care about them, you respect them, you will not judge them, and you care about the desire for quality education for all children.
During my experience organizing around education issues in an urban area, I did my