The Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) headed by Jhonna Turner is highlighted in this article, which illustrates the striking imbalance between parent teach organization resources for academic enrichment for schools in certain DC Wards and the resources of parent groups in many District of Columbia Public Schools with whom Jhonna works on a daily basis. The purpose of the PEP program is to help parent groups realize their own power to benefit their neighborhood school communities and exercise a greater voice in shaping their children’s educational opportunities. The School-to-School Initiative in DC serves as one mechanism to ensure that WLC provides an opportunity for parents to understand the resources that are available to them and how to best raise additional funding for their school communities, despite the challenges and injustices that these communities face.
A growing body of research describes the wealth gap in America as a strong force in racial disparities and socio-economic immobility. Evidence indicates that redlining, exclusionary zoning, segregation by decades of government housing policy, as well as disparities in educational opportunities and the school-to-prison pipeline, have prevented people and communities of color from growing in affluence. As stated by Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law, African American families average just 60% of the income of white families, and on average only accumulate 10% of the wealth that white families do. The recent Washington Post Magazine article, Parents Raise Massive Amounts of Money at Some Public Schools. Should They Share It?, clearly demonstrates how the wealth gap contributes to the opportunity and resource gap in public education. The Committee’s Education Justice Project works to address the harmful effects of segregation and inequity that continues to undermine the District’s public education systems.