Boston Parent Organizing Network organizes, develop and support parents and families who are marginalized by class, race, language, disability and immigration status to  work with and hold accountable the Boston Public Schools to provide an excellent education for all students.

    In all we do we are guided by these principles:

    • Parents and families are the most effective advocates and leaders to bring about lasting improvements in student education.
    • Parents, families and students are the key source to identify the educational needs of children and youth.
    • Networking and collaboration among community based organizations and school based parent groups are necessary to effect system-wide change
    • Both system-wide and community-based issues must be addressed collectively to assure sustained success.

    Our Vision

    Because of BPON's effectiveness parents and families who are marginalized by class, race, language, disability and immigration status directly influence decision making at all levels of the Boston Public School System.

     

    WHAT WE DO

    Since its formation in 1999, BPON has built on the strengths of its organizational members and thousands of parent volunteers to achieve significant change at both the school and district levels.  BPON is recognized as a powerful and unique force in reform of the BPS, creating consensus among diverse parents, developing their power through leadership training and amplifying their voices, and wielding this power in unified action.

    BPON's focus is on engaging families to provide leadership in achieving excellent education for all BPS students. 2011 proved to be one of historic successes for the BPON staff and leaders.  Several Boston Public Schools (BPS) policies were positively impacted due to the advocacy of our Parent Working Groups and we are proud of the efforts and endeavors of our leaders.

    The 2011 accomplishments are highlighted below.

     On the BPS Code of Conduct:

    • BPON parentsheld several focus groups for parents and students to gather input on the implementation of the new BPS Code of Conduct. Parent leaders facilitated the focus groups that were held in several neighborhoods across the city.
    • BPON staff chaired the Code of Conduct Advisory Council (COCAC) for its first eight months of operation ensuring that parent and student voice remained a vital component of the council.
    • BPON Staff delivered trainings on the new BPS Code of Conduct at the BPS Parent University. Over sixty parents participated on the trainings and learned about the new changes and their rights under the new code.

    On the BPS Student Assignment Process:

    • BPON held a community forum where parents delivered their concerns and frustrations to BPS Superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson and members of her leadership team around the current Student Assignment Process.  Meetings are now scheduled to follow up with Dr. Johnson on parents' demands and potential solutions.

    On the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) contract negotiations with the BPS, BPON played a key role as a member of the Boston United for Students Coalition in:

    • Bringing over thirty (30) parents and students together for a Day of Action that culminated in the collection of over one thousand (1,000) post-cards stating the priorities of the coalition.
    • Providing the second public platform for BPS Superintendent, BTU President and parent and student representatives to discuss Boston United for Students' priorities for the contract at a community forum in the spring that attracted over 250 parents, students and community residents.

    On Special Education, BPON parents:

    • Celebrated the reorganization of the Special Education Department in BPS which included:
      • The creation of 10 new inclusive schools for SY 2011 and
      • New Highly Specialized Strands.
    • Held several meetings with the Deputy Superintendent for Special Education and successfully advocated to establish new processes to assist students transitioning into the new highly specialized strands.

    At the State Level:

    • BPON celebrated a historic statewide victory. The Massachusetts Board of Education now mandates the inclusion of student feedback as evidence in teacher evaluations. The state is studying the feasibility of including parent feedback in teacher evaluations. If approved, it will be implemented by SY 2013. The advocacy provided by the Boston United for Students Coalition was instrumental in this victory.
    • The Drop Out Prevention Committee of BPON submitted recommendationson the Drop Out Prevention Bill introduced by Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz. 

    On the National Front, BPON parents and students:

    • Attended the Nellie Mae Opportunity Fund Meeting with several groups from around the region and were featured in the Opportunity Fund Video. Click here to see video:http://vimeo.com/25527488
    • Participated in a conference call with President Obama and his staff. Several BPON youth members along with students from around the countryheard President Obama congratulate all of them on the work they are doing at the local and national level.
    • Engaged in the Dignity in Schools National Campaign. For the week of action, BPON held a community forum on "The Role of Progressive People of Color in the Fight to Dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline". 

    On Parent Leadership Development:

    • BPON partnered with BPS Parent University delivering a total of seventeen (17) sessions throughout the school year.  Topics varied from Seeing Ourselves as Leaders; to  Creating a Movement for School Reform; to Knowing the BPS Code of Conduct: Educating BPS Parents and Students on the New Code of Conduct for BPS and their Rights.
    •  Over thirty BPS parents graduated from the Advanced Session at the BPS Parent University.  These leaders will become trainers for future sessions of Parent University.  BPON was proud to be the trainer for the Parents as Organizers strand.
    • The first cohort of BPON student leaders completed an intensive leadership training as part of BPON's Student Leadership Exchange.  Parents and student leaders continue to meet on a regular basis to discuss and organize around issues through an intergenerational lense.
    • The first cohort of Parent Leadership Exchange for parents with children ages 0-5 completed graduation in the fall.  The course consisted of ten weekly sessions of training on leadership and other skills development.  This cohort is expected to continue to work with BPON and recruit and co-facilitate a second cohort for the fall of 2012.  

     

    HISTORY

    In 1999 BPON was founded as a network of organizations. Its primary work was led by six community-based organizations within Boston's immigrant and communities of color.

    A Steering Committee served as BPON's governing body.  The Steering Committee's 14 members included the Executive Director of each grantee organization; one parent representative involved with each grantee; a representative of Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC); and, a representative of BPON funders.  An Executive Committee set the agendas for Steering Committee meetings, took action between meetings, and provided support to the BPON Director. The Executive Director facilitated and coordinated a process of mutual accountability among network members.

    In recent years consensus emerged among BPON's stakeholders that the organizational model and structure needed to be reviewed and revised in order to better serve current and future needs. In September 2008, BPON's Executive Committee initiated a process charged with four tasks: 1) assess the organization's strengths and weaknesses, 2) review and update the foundational agreements (Mission, Values and Vision), 3) determine the optimal organizational structure and 4) conduct an executive search to secure executive leadership appropriate for the new organizational model.

    ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL

    A Provisional Board has been implementing a new organizational model. The new organizational model is membership-based with a parent-led board of directors. There will be a majority of parent board members, with additional seats reserved for CBO representatives. In the last year, the Provisional Board has assisted in the development of the membership base.  BPON is in the process of incorporating as an independent 501c3. The new board will be elected and take office in the Fall of 2012

    VISION & OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH AND ENHANCEMENT

    Since the launching of our new organizational structure several local and city-wide and even statewide campaigns have been held including the fight to remove the BPS five zone proposal, several budget advocacy campaigns, the ground-breaking legislative win of the Education Reform Act and the creation of first in the state Code of Conduct Advisory Council.  The BPON staff are guiding and supporting the development of the new organizational structure as well as developing the membership base and providing leadership to expand and strengthen the work of parent leadership training and organizing. The new organizational structure has streamlined the process by which networking and collaboration occurs, making more optimal use of stakeholders' time and resources. This new structure and collaboration process is attracting new participants, both individuals and organizational.