Copyright 2006 The Durham Herald Co.
The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC)

December 7, 2006 Thursday
Final Edition

SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. A4

LENGTH: 1163 words

HEADLINE: Letters to the editor

BODY:


Parental involvement on display at W.G. Pearson

On an unusually balmy late November night, a throng of parents and their children flooded the book fair at the new W.G. Pearson Gifted and Talented Magnet School. Pitched as an ice cream social, the Cold Stone Creamery ice cream was as thick and rich as the parental involvement, teacher enthusiasm and students' eagerness to dive into the brand new books parents snapped up in a pre-holiday shopping frenzy.

That same day, Kelley Hinchcliffe reported on Superintendent Carl Harris' effort to cultivate more parental involvement in the public schools [Herald-Sun, Nov. 28].

If the pages and pages of names scribbled in the volunteer log at W.G. Pearson and the boisterous crowd at the book fair are any indication, parentsare getting more involved under the new leadership of Durham Public Schools with Harris and school board chairwoman Minnie Forte-Brown.

With the effective kitchen table conversations hosted by Forte-Brown and more civil and engaged public comment at school board meetings, it looks like parents, teachers, students and administrators are all getting more involved.

Not only in the classroom, but the boardroom as well.

Lee D. Baker

The writer is associate professor of cultural anthropology and chairman of the Arts and Sciences Council at Duke University.