“Revival from the Roots”: A listening tour of Philly Schools with Parents United and PFT’s Jerry Jordan | Parents United for Public Education

“Revival from the Roots”: A listening tour of Philly Schools with Parents United and PFT’s Jerry Jordan | Parents United for Public Education:

“Revival from the Roots”: A listening tour of Philly Schools with Parents United and PFT’s Jerry Jordan

Posted on April 16, 2014 by HELENGYM

I was deeply moved in watching the final cut of “Revival from the Roots,” a listening tour Parents United did with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. We wanted to hear from Philadelphia’s parents, staff and students who live the consequences of the policies we enact on our public schools. Here we toured West Philadelphia and talked with families from Barry, Lea and Penn Alexander Elementary schools and with students and staff at West Philadelphia High School. We have to be humble and thoughtful that too many of our young people face or deal with circumstances most of us could not even imagine. Our schools shouldn’t be part of their problems. They can and must uplift and invest in young people. Rather than seeing them as broken institutions to be discarded or shut down, they can be places of hope and potential. With the right investment, they are the most stalwart buffer against poverty and the best proof of our collective values. I could not be prouder to be part of this effort and to share it with outstanding parent voices like our own Maurice Jones and so many others. It’s eight minutes you won’t regret! Many thanks to Media Mobilizing Project and to the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers for this incredibly moving collaboration.