All in the Family

Cambridge families need more information about our schools. That message came through loud and clear at the "All in the Family" gathering that I sponsored along City Councillors Henrietta Davis and Denise Simmons on Sunday, October 2.

Sitting in the sun in the front yard of parent Josie Patterson's Cambridgeport home, parents came up with all sorts of things they would like to know more about when it comes to the schools.

Middle school parents, in particular, want more information about the city's only public high school by the time their children enter 7th grade. The current voluntarily "shadowing" program pairing 8th graders with 9th graders for a visit should be replaced with a special orientation each fall so that all 7th and 8th graders from across the city would get a chance to spend a day learning about courses and opportunities at CRLS. This would also make them feel more comfortable on the new campus.

In general, attendees said there should be more opportunities to get middle schoolers and their parents up to the high school. Mailing team schedules and news of other high school events is one example of how this could be done.

Parents of young children would also like more information aimed at their interests. Packets for new parents and new residents about the schools would be helpful and could even be put in boxes for easy distribution at the city's many playgrounds. Human resource directors for Cambridge businesses and realtors should get annual briefings from school officials and knowledgeable parents about what is going on in the schools so they can be better informed when they talk to young families moving into Cambridge.

Parents also said they were concerned about the stability of the teaching staffs in Cambridge schools and they offered several ideas for attracting and retaining teachers. Partnering with Harvard and other institutions to provide affordable housing for teachers and surveying teachers about their work environments, were some of the ideas.

I would like to thank Josie Patterson for hosting this event. The next "All in the Family" gathering is about Afterschool. It will be held on Sunday, Oct. 16 in East Cambridge at 69 Spring St. from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

See you there!