It was standing room only on Monday evening, Oct. 27 at Millennium Quest High School’s first Parent-Teacher Night. Speaking to a crowd of 135 parents, teachers, students and residents, members of the Manual Parent Organizing Committee challenged everyone present to work together to improve student achievement at Millennium Quest.

Citing data from the Colorado Small Schools Initiative, leaders Ted Travis and Jesus Martinez lamented the widening achievement gap for low-income students and students of color. Travis and Martinez then outlined in English and Spanish the important impact that the small schools model can have in turning around this trend for Manual’s youth. Good communication, advisement blocks, high expectations, academic rigor, and professional development opportunities for teachers are key elements of the small schools – elements that Millennium Quest principal Mary Lewis is committed to implementing in her school.

Monday’s meeting was the first opportunity of the year for Millennium Quest parents and advisement teachers to meet and begin to work together to support student success. With 25 percent of Millennium Quest parents in attendance, it was an important step toward building the home-school connection. Mary Lewis observed that, “At the beginning of the 2002 school year, we had four parents in attendance at our Back to School Night. The turn-out tonight is an incredible testament to the tireless efforts of our Parent Organizing Committee to mobilize parents to become involved.”

The small schools model was adopted at Manual in August of 2001, with the intention of confronting issues within the school such as low academic achievement, high dropout rates, and lack of preparation for college or a career. It is the first comprehensive high school in the nation to be “broken up” into small schools.

The parent leaders involved with the Metro Organizations for People’s Transforming Schools Initiative are committed to the academic success of youth at Manual. They know that parents must play an integral role in turning their school around. The parents conducted extensive research during the 2002-03 school year on the small schools model, and what is needed for it to be effective. Their research led them to support the implementation of these four key elements of small schools. Monday’s Parent-Teacher Night is an important step in building that support. Manual’s parent leaders believe that nothing less than the future of their children is at stake.

Manual’s Parent Organizing Committee is a member of Metro Organizations for People which is comprised of 28 member churches, schools and neighborhood organizations throughout metro Denver. For more information, call 303-399-2425.