BALTIMORE — When a kid is doing badly in school, who do you blame? If you ask some parents, they may say it's the teachers, and if you ask the teachers, they may say the parents.
In the Baltimore City School District, some parents and teachers decided to stop blaming each other and work together to find solutions.
"We got parents pointing at the faculty, then we got the faculty pointing at the parents when really we all just have to work together as a cohesive unit to cause change in our schools," says Patrice Tramill.
Its a problem Patrice Tramill says she and other parents had enough of.
Both sides blame each other for the problems students deal with at school.
“How do we bridge a gap and build relationships between the two of them so that they can work together to have the best outcome for the kids," says Tyrone Barnwell.
The Teachers Democracy Project and the Baltimore Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools team up to find solutions.
During the 2023–24 school year, parents and teachers started making the changes they wanted to see in the schools.
Parents also learned different ways to get involved, from support in the classroom to advocacy in Annapolis.
“We get to build community right, and we get to let parents know that there are other like-minded parents out there that want to see a better system for our kids. And then also deal with challenges and issues that parents face on a regular basis," says Barnwell.
Tyrone Barnwell says it's been paying off.
"We have seen increasing in attendance we see increasing in grades and also increasing in graduation," he says.
Patrice Tramill, who has three children in Baltimore City Schools, says although they have made progress in helping student attendance, grades, and mental health, there are still problems that need constant attention, like bullying and oversized classrooms.
Monday’s picnic was a celebration of all the accomplishments parents and teachers have made together.
Most importantly, it was to recognize the parents for wanting to make a change in their child’s education.
The parents also got various awards for the work they did throughout the year.
