San Diego

The mood was mixed Thursday as a group of predominantly black San Diego residents met to highlight the fourth annual Education Sunday this weekend to boost the educational achievements of minority children.

On Sunday, teachers, administrators and parents will fan out to almost two dozen black churches in Southeast San Diego to talk with parents about spending more time with their children’s education. The parents will sign pledge forms committing themselves to more involvement with their children’s education and their school.

But landscaper Walter Kudumu, who spearheads the Campaign for Parent Involvement in Education, said Thursday that the program needs “more teeth” to focus the community’s attention year-round--and not just once or twice a year--on the need for improved education.

He cited a program at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in which volunteers work with parents on a weekly basis to provide information about schools, such as what test scores mean for their children and what questions to ask at teacher conferences.

Shirley Weber, a San Diego State University professor and member of the San Diego City Schools Board of Education, said a crisis faces many black students, citing high dropout rates and poor academic achievement that lags behind other ethnic groups. Weber called both for sustained programs by the black community to educate parents on how to help their children and for stronger efforts by the school system to expect more from blacks academically.

“It’s got to be seen to be cool to read rather than wear red and be a member of a gang,” Weber said. “We have to look upon this crisis as a challenge.”