Working with the Community

Coordinator for the Office of Family and Public Engagement, Sharona Robinson, visited the Urban Education Seminar on the morning of January 6th.  Sharona Robinson leads a community action team for wards 7 & 8, and she provided us great insight into engaging with the District of Columbia Public Schools.  As a former student, parent, administrator, and active participant in DCPS, she was able to share how wearing different hats can be advantageous when working with the school system and community.

Seminar participants and Sharona Robinson (center) capture the good vibes and good weather

After intense discussion about what needs to be done to create more immediate progress in education, we finished our day with a visit to City Year.  Representatives, and former City Year participants, shared with the us the impact that their volunteers have in their local communities.  It was great to see an organization dedicated to changing the life of each child the best they can.  The model was so impressive that it was adopted internationally by three offices.

“At City Year we know every child can succeed”

This day was one of our best because we were able learn how an individual can really make a difference in education by focusing on the individual.  In order for our country to make any serious progress in bettering our educational opportunities for all students, we need to approach the issue at all levels.  From our visits on this day, we learned the importance of approaching educational inequity at the individual level.

~Kiara Earle ’16