{"id":568689,"date":"2021-02-28T13:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T18:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/?post_type=article&p=568689"},"modified":"2021-03-01T11:09:19","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T16:09:19","slug":"bucking-the-trend-how-2-d-c-principals-restored-black-parents-trust-in-returning-kids-to-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/bucking-the-trend-how-2-d-c-principals-restored-black-parents-trust-in-returning-kids-to-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Bucking the Trend: How 2 D.C. Principals Restored Black Parents\u2019 Trust in Returning Kids to the Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

This piece is part of <\/em>\u201cCOVID Warriors: How Educators Are Saving the Pandemic Generation<\/strong><\/a>,\u201d a two-week series produced in collaboration with the Solutions Journalism Network<\/a> that explores what educators, schools, and districts are doing to prevent an entire generation of students from lost learning and its lifetime of consequences. Read all the pieces in this series as they are published <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>. Catch up on all of our solutions-based coverage <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

A<\/span>s Garfield Prep Academy in Washington, D.C., prepared to reopen in February, Principal Kennard Branch pulled out all the stops to make parents feel more confident about sending their children back to the building for in-person classes.<\/p>\n

Responding to parents\u2019 wariness over whether the Ward 8 school would be safe during a pandemic, he posted self-produced video tours of the building online. He helped secure plastic shields for every desk.<\/p>\n

As students return, <\/strong>he\u2019s sent them home at the end of the day with what one parent called a \u201csupper bag\u201d \u2014 often a sandwich, fruit and juice.<\/p>\n

At nearby Kramer Middle School, Principal Katreena Shelby encouraged parents to text or call her cell phone with questions, and she has given a few one-on-one building walkthroughs upon request.<\/p>\n

While virtual learning has strained many families, the majority of D.C. parents in the predominantly Black wards east of the Anacostia River have opted<\/a> to keep their kids home, citing health concerns and splintered trust in the district.<\/p>\n

But the two D.C. Public Schools principals believe their tailored approach \u2014 close communication with families and staff, being transparent about building readiness and following through on community members’ requests \u2014 has resulted in a different outcome: a higher proportion of their students coming back in person than at nearby schools.<\/p>\n

“It has been a struggle districtwide to really get parents interested in sending their students back,” Shelby told The 74. “Our school culture plays a large role in [our momentum]. … Relationships and rapport have helped us.”<\/p>\n

DCPS began preparing for Term 3 reopening last fall with a goal<\/a>: for schools to serve 25 percent of their students in person. By early February, DCPS data showed the average percentage of schools\u2019 student bodies signing up for in-person services in Ward 8 was in the mid-teens.<\/p>\n