CSU enters partnership to involve parents in education

The California State University and the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) have announced a partnership to strengthen parent involvement in the education of elementary and middle school students to improve children's preparation for higher education.

“The CSU partnership with PIQE is significant since it adds to many other efforts to help improve the public school system,” said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. “Improving the state's public K-12 schools is critical to the future of California and quality of the Cal State system, since we expect that many of those students ultimately enroll at a CSU campus.”

CSU Chancellor Reed will provide $575,000 in funding for CSU campuses to partner with local schools to bring the PIQE program to their areas. PIQE will be responsible for raising the same amount in matching funds. The mission of the project is to bring schools, parents, and community together as equal partners in the education of targeted and under-served California children.

Through the nine-week PIQE training program, parents will learn how to improve their child's performance in the classroom, enhance the parent/child relationship, motivate their child to stay in school and identify steps to help their child attend a college or university. Class sessions are taught in English and Spanish and twelve other languages and are offered in morning and evening sessions. The classes are taught by professional facilitators who must first graduate from PIQE ‘s nine-week program and then go through extensive facilitation training by PIQE. The CSU campuses will provide every child of a graduate of PIQE a college specific identity type. This ID card will identify the children of parents who completed the PIQE program.

Dr. Vahac Mardirosian, PIQE founder said that the Parent Institute has its genesis in the Los Angeles student walkouts of 1968 and in more than thirty years of dedicated work by many individuals in the community committed to a quality education for all students.

“PIQE has developed and widely implemented a model for increasing parent involvement in K-12 where parent participation has been difficult to achieve. The barriers that discourage immigrant parents from participating in schools are not insurmountable,” Mardirosian said.

David Valladolid, president and chief executive officer of PIQE, said that the offer of a CSU college ID card will enhance the success of PIQE's recruitment of parent and will send families the profound message that a spot awaits for their children in college if they study hard and meet the admission requirements. “PIQE will fully inform parents of these admission requirements,” Valladolid said.

Since its inception in 1987, PIQE has graduated over 350,000 parents and guardians. It has developed and widely implemented a model for increasing parent involvement in K-12 where parent participation has been difficult to achieve.