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Community Asset Development Redefining Education (CADRE) is a grassroots effort to mobilize parents in South Los Angeles schools to advocate on behalf of their children. According to CADRE's Lead Organizer and Director, Maisie Chin, the organization's goals are to strengthen public education in working class or poor South LA schools by “increasing the skills, knowledge, leadership, technology, and strategic actions of parents in the community."
Co-founders Maisie Chin and Rosalinda Hill began recruiting parents for CADRE in 1999 after they met working for a Watts parent group called Parents and Student Organizing (PASO). Ms. Chin felt that the education reform movement failed to recognize the relationship between low-income parents of color and “the institutional racism and systemic policies that lock parents out of truly participating.” By 2001 Ms. Chin and Ms. Hill had raised enough seed money to rent an office and employ a part-time staff.
“Our piece is to level the playing field between parents and institutions, to really look at what’s wrong and to challenge the school to serve the community, instead of serving itself.”
- Maisie Chin
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True to the tradition of grassroots organizing, CADRE relies on door-to-door knocking to recruit parents. “We usually don’t just door knock around the high school,” states Ms. Chin, “but go where there really isn’t any existing support provided to parents.” Founding core member and campaign organizer, Kenneth Hill, believes that door-to-door knocking enables CADRE members to “reach those that for some reason won’t visit campuses.”
CADRE organizers are challenged to build trust with parents while venturing into new neighborhoods. “One way that we pick up a conversation with parents is by giving them a scenario, such as, if you had a magic wand and there was one thing that you could change within LAUSD what would that be? That is always a door opener.” Still, Mr. Hill finds a universal sentiment among the parents he meets. “Of all the different issues and crises that parents have—cause they all have a unique story that is very important—the bottom-line is their need for social justice, dignity and respect.”
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Once parents have chosen to become involved with CADRE, they learn the political history of education in South Los Angeles and, most importantly, begin to recognize the importance of their own role in the education of their children. Through the support and encourgement of CADRE, parents develop the respect and confidence necessary to assert themselves to school officials, teachers and administrators. “We work hard so that parents understand that rather than see themselves as powerless or secondary they are, in fact, the driving force,” states Ms. Chin. “Without parents enrolling their kids, these schools would have no operating budget. A lot of our political education is trying to get parents to understand this. It doesn’t matter if parents don’t have papers, or have never been to school themselves. It may sound simple, but it’s a huge canyon to cross when it comes to politicizing parents to fight for change.”
CADRE's goals are to ultimately become a part of a greater collective movement for change for all parents. “Our piece is to level the playing field between parents and institutions, to really look at what’s wrong and to challenge the school to serve the community, instead of serving itself.”
Victories & Wins
TCLA: What are some of CADRE's victories and wins?
Maisie Chin: Our impact has been very individual. Our success lies in helping individual parents to see themselves as advocates and in filling this need in South LA. We have been successful in channeling the really frustrated and angry parents to a place where they can know their rights and resolve their problems with the school. However, we have every intention of not resting here and launching parent-driven campaigns for more collective social and racial justice in South LA schools.
I think another aspect of our success is that we have created a place where African American and Latino parents can come. In our meetings, trainings and literature, we spread a strong message of unity.
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