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later U.S. Department of Education Sudden Dissolution At the newly formed National Parent and Family Engagement Council on Monday, concerned groups shared their disappointment but clarified they would continue to urge agencies to prioritize family engagement.
The council had never met since its creation by the education ministry until it was dissolved, said Vito Borrello, executive director of the Association for Family, School and Community Engagement. NAFSCE is one of fourteen groups represented on the Ed Department Council, and this organization has appointed two of her guardians as members of the Council.
the education department had Council established in June Building “strong and effective relationships between the school and parents, families and caregivers”.
many things are on the line Political conflict grows within the community, in addition to combating misinformation, undermines efforts to promote respectful dialogue in schools.Voter Confidence in Public Education decreased significantly since the pandemic. Experts suggest school districts improve family engagement to address this decline in social trust, but federal efforts to help struggling school districts facilitate this Very few.
But just one month after the council’s formation, three conservative activist organizations—America First Legal Foundation, Fight for Schools and Families, and Parents Defending Education—were formed. sued the department He called for the council to be dissolved, arguing that its members lacked a “balanced” perspective. The lawsuit alleges that the council violated the Federal Advisory Board Act.
disappointments and blessings follow
Education department said in a statement On Monday, the agency decided not to proceed with the council anyway, citing a disagreement with the allegations.
“Regardless of our political, social and cultural backgrounds, we all share a critical concern for the future of our students and our nation,” the education ministry said.
The department said parents and families play a key role in shaping the future of their children and communities, adding that it has continued to work to listen and engage with as many parents as possible. rice field.
In addition, the Ministry of Education said: stay connected By hosting town halls and providing resources, we can reach out to families across the country.
“According to the NAFSCE definition, family involvement is not good public relations,” says Borrello.
“Thus, while holding webinars or sending out newsletters may be beneficial, it is not strategic in itself. The strategic approach we build is substantive, nothing more, and we accept it.”
Some of the council’s representatives expressed disappointment at its closure, but the group that filed the lawsuit unsurprisingly sees the council’s demise as a victory.
“This Council of Fake Parents, by decking out a very special interest group that has awakened parents across America to the long game of politicizing public schools with far-left anti-fellows, has taken control of the system. Ian Prior, Executive Director of Fight for School and Families and Senior Advisor to the America First Legal Foundation, said: in a statement.
Previously, he was a senior official in then-President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice.
“Road of Political Turmoil”
Keri Rodriguez, president of the National Parents Union, another group represented on the council, said in an emailed statement that the move reflected “another failure by both Democrats and Republicans.” said.
“Both parties claim that they have the best interests of their families and students, but they have done nothing concrete to prove it,” Rodriguez said.
Elected officials continue down a “path of political turmoil”, but Rodriguez said there is also ongoing data Revealing the mathematics and literacy crisis A result of the pandemic.
The law in question — the Federal Advisory Board Act — requires advisory board members to be “very balanced in terms of the perspectives represented and the functions performed by the advisory board.” Nearly 80% of the leaders of organizations involved in the National Parents and Families Engagement Council have donated to President Joe Biden or other Democrats, according to the lawsuit.
Bolero said the effort to sabotage the Family Engagement Council was a “political attempt to undermine” the Biden administration, considering the lawsuit was from former Trump official Prior. Overall, this lawsuit fails to consider the best interests of the family and their children.
“I am deeply disappointed that politics have undermined this National Parent and Family Participation Council, and I am equally disappointed with the response of the department and government to these politics,” Borrello said.
A few days before the council disbanded, Written by five Republican senators Asked U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to raise concerns about the lawsuit’s allegations of “biased” composition within the council. The letter also said the council lacked sufficient parents and families at the local level.
For Borello, these claims are unjustified.
The council’s goal was to reach nationwide, he said. In addition, many of the organizations we represent have extensive local networks. “This was not a group of people from Washington, D.C. who came to these events. They were parents from all over the country,” Borrello said.
Work on Cardona’s Commitments
The council was one demonstration of prioritizing family involvement that Cardona set up almost a year ago, Borrello said.
In a January speech, Cardona expressed the need for “more meaningful and authentic parental and family engagement.” detailing his vision and priorities For education during the Biden administration.
Several people involved in the council, including NAFSCE, the National Parents Union, and the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, all share an ongoing commitment to advancing the federal government’s family engagement priorities.
Going forward, the agency will be able to strengthen federal policy, guidance, and funding through statewide family engagement centers, Borrello said. We can also increase resources for these efforts through Title I and the Higher Education Act.
“We look forward to seeing a strategic and substantive effort that demonstrates his intentions. [Cardona’s] We have made a commitment,” Borrello said.