Parents master educational maze

Solorio Ubaldo wasn't wearing a cap and gown and didn't receive a traditional diploma, but the father of two Piner High School students gave an emotional valedictory speech to a packed hall of proud graduates Wednesday night.

Ubaldo was one of 83 Piner parents who graduated from the Parent Institute for Quality Education course, a nine-week primer on navigating all aspects of the school system, and targets Spanish-speaking parents searching for tools to help their students thrive at school.

"Before, I thought that if the students come to class and participated, that was enough to graduate from high school and continue at the university -- that is not true," Ubaldo said, alternating between Spanish and English. "We as parents have a lot of obligations. We have to guide our kids, we have to let them know that education is important. One of the ways we let them know is us being here tonight."

Every Wednesday for nine weeks, parents were tutored on understanding the high school system. Subjects included tips for contacting counselors, the importance of taking the correct college preparatory classes, identifying financial aid options and understanding the schedule for key academic tests.

Navigating the educational landscape when language is a barrier can be fraught with anxiety, said Aricela Ramos, executive director for the Bay Area branch of the Parent Institute for Quality Education.

"Especially with English-learners, they ask themselves, 'I don't even know how to read or write, how am I going to help my child?' " she said.

The PIQE classes were free to parents -- the $10,000 cost for the entire program was pulled from Piner's Title 1 funds earmarked for helping socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

Piner Principal Mary Beth Halsey praised the graduates and called on them to use the course as a foundation for becoming active on the Fulton Road campus.

"I am expecting and hoping you will join us for our parent group meetings, our boosters, our plays -- everything we have going on, I want you to be a part of," she said.

Getting parents on board is crucial to the school's academic success, Halsey said.

Piner has struggled to meet all 38 testing requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind law, as Latinos and English-learners have missed academic targets.

"We are a Program Improvement school," Halsey said before Wednesday night's ceremony. "We want our kids to do really, really well. This is a group of parents who will be monitoring their kids. They want their kids to be able to use this diploma and get into college. I think it's a huge step in addressing the academic concerns."

"The benefits to Piner are enormous," she said. "I feel like this is a group of parents now who know me, know my values, who know the school, know how to become advocates for their kids."

Key to the PIQE program is its three-year partnership with the California State University system. Students of graduating PIQE parents who meet the school's minimum requirements are guaranteed admission to their local CSU campus -- a crucial reward when budget cuts continue to limit the numbers of freshmen admitted, Halsey said.

"They bounce ahead of everybody who wants to get in," she said.

PIQE has been active in the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District for at least three years and hundreds of parents have graduated, said Assistant Superintendent Gail Eagan. Tonight, 17 Thomas Page Elementary School parents will graduate.

"It's been a terrific program for us," Eagan said.

For Piner parent and PIQE graduate Serafin Escutia, the mandate in his family is now clear.

"Our kids will go to college -- whether they want to or not," he told graduates.

You can reach Staff Writer Kerry Benefield at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat

.com.