Parent-student education summit held in the First State
SUSSEX COUNTY, DE. – Saturday, Delaware officials from the La Esparanza La Colectiva initiative welcomed parents and students to Delaware Technical and Community College for an information summit, to bridge the gap between families and Sussex County schools.
Executive director of La Esparanza La Colectiva, Jennifer Fuqua, said the event has been in the works for quite some time, and they’re excited to finally be able to provide families with the essential tools for academic success.
“This is a project that we’ve been working on for about a year- exploring the engagement of Hispanic families in schools in Sussex County, what’s working, what could be better, what are good practices and how to involve parents in decision making,” Fuqua said.
The summit pushed to address the educational disparities within the First State. Fleur McKendall, with the NAACP, and in partnership with First State Educate, said as the First State, Delaware should not fall as low on the mathematics and literacy ladders as it has been.
“We are literally dangling in last place; we only have three states that are performing worse than us,” McKendell said. “We need to do better. Our students deserve better- our economic markets deserve better, and we just have to put our students, and the state, first. It’s time.”
Fuqua said while the parents walked away with a wealth of knowledge, they weren’t the only ones who learned a thing or two about the importance of education in Delaware.
“I hope that we walk away with a lot of information and parent feedback that we can take back and bring to the powers,” Fuqua said. “We also want to make sure that these opportunities for parents to become leaders are carried through, and there are other opportunities for them to get more involved, either in their own PTA, or in other opportunities for parents to have a voice.”
