RETURN TO PETITION

An Open Letter to University of Houston President Dr. Renu Khator, Provost Dr. John Antel, and the Human Development Laboratory School (HDLS) Community,

We, the HDLS parents who are committed to the drive for excellence of both the University of Houston (UH) and the HDLS, are submitting the attached petition urgently requesting that efforts to close HDLS and/or dramatically alter its existing structure be halted immediately.  In addition, we request that the management of the HDLS be transferred, at least temporarily, from the College of Education (COE) to an oversight committee appointed by the President or Provost.  As detailed more fully below, this petition stems from our firm belief that mismanagement by the COE has led directly to the current difficulties facing the school. COE administration has all but ignored numerous requests by the school's staff, the Parent Advisory Board (PAB) and other concerned parents to discuss these issues, thus we are left with no other option but to bring our concerns to the UH Provost and President. 

For over 40 years the HDLS has served the Houston community.  HDLS has not only provided leadership to early childhood education programs around the city, it has also served the community in other ways, including welcoming area families with childcare needs after Tropical Storm Allison and Hurricane Ike. The program has historically been considered to be on the cutting edge of early childhood education, and as one of the only Constructivist early education programs in Houston, has been named best early childcare center in Houston by the Houston Press (1999). The school was the subject of Dr. Rheta Devries’ book, Moral Classrooms, Moral Children: Creating a Constructivist Atmosphere in Early Education (New York: Teachers College Press, 1994), and more recently it has served as a model school for many other early childhood programs including the Poe Cooperative Nursery School at Poe Elementary in HISD.  HDLS was one of the first Houston area schools to achieve accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and has provided a leadership role in assisting other local programs to also achieve NAEYC accreditation. The expertise and experience of the teachers is unparalleled, and the reputation of the school had been unsurpassed.

Since HDLS moved from the College of Technology to the COE six years ago and then to the Institutional Effectiveness Office of COE two years ago, mismanagement by the COE has resulted in an alarming decline in the condition of the school.  Prior to these transfers, while functioning with the current school director and lead teachers, HDLS flourished as an exemplary preschool with high parent satisfaction and fiscal strength. In the past two years, COE administration's interference with the management of the school has caused the erosion of the quality of programs, a decrease in adequate levels of staffing, a failure to adhere to accreditation standards and ethics, and a patronizing attitude towards stakeholder concerns. The COE administration has imposed changes in programs and staffing without, in good faith, consulting with HDLS staff or parents, and with disregard to the Constructivist tradition which is what compelled many parents to join the school.  Beyond this, COE has intentionally undercut HDLS' and parents' efforts to reestablish the school's leading reputation and has failed to take reasonable and necessary steps to maintain the basic necessities for a thriving school. These decisions by the COE have directly resulted in an unprecedented attrition of students, leading to loss of revenue. We are gravely concerned that COE's management has threatened the very existence of HDLS, its rich history of excellence and its state-wide reputation.

Examples of COE's mismanagement are numerous, and the ones included herein are not exhaustive.  

• COE has repeatedly cited budgetary problems as the basis for significant cuts in programs and staffing, yet refuses to take action to improve the situation.  The PAB budget subcommittee determined adding only nine more students could eliminate the deficit. Despite this, COE has not approved of several parental efforts to improve school marketing.  Furthermore, the University Development office has reported that COE terminated a proposed HDLS alumni giving campaign to support the school. 
• The HDLS staff and teachers, who collectively have dedicated more than 50 years to excellence in all areas of the program, have been stripped of leadership roles; all decisions are being made arbitrarily by COE administration, which has shown disregard for the rich history of the program and the expertise of its staff.
• In the past, all classrooms have always had one full-time lead teacher and one full-time assistant teacher, both with training in early childhood development.  This year, in two classrooms, COE unilaterally changed the full-time assistant teacher position to two part-time work-study positions, supplemented by COE interns and substitute teachers. This has led to increased dissatisfaction among parents.
• COE has ignored the staffing shortfall that will be created when work study and intern positions are terminated at the end of this semester.  As a result, after May 31, the school will be unacceptably understaffed, threatening the safety and well-being of the children. [Implemented on 5/8/09.]
• It is our understanding that COE has instructed HDLS staff not to speak openly to parents regarding these urgent programmatic and staffing issues. The once open lines of communication between parents and HDLS staff have been inexcusably and improperly silenced.
  
• At this late date, parents and prospective parents still have no information regarding next year's contracts, which would start August 1.  In PAB meetings earlier this year, COE intimated that HDLS may undergo major restructuring and possibly school closure. The HDLS director and parents have made multiple requests for clarification of these statements in the form of contracts.  The lack of contracts and COE's failure to give any information to parents and staff have led to increased attrition and loss of prospective families from the waiting list.
  

These and other examples of COE's unprofessional, unethical and incompetent management decisions have been disabling to the HDLS, have caused undue stress to the current HDLS families and have jeopardized the University's image and relationship with the greater Houston community.

The University's drive towards Tier 1 status necessitates having quality childcare options available on campus, as this positively impacts student success and facilitates faculty recruitment and retention.  In addition, most, if not all, Tier 1 status schools have high quality laboratory schools/child development centers that provide support for training future educators and conducting research in child development.  If HDLS were to close, even for a short amount of time, and/or subsequently be drastically altered, not only will UH have lost one of its most important educational landmarks, but the options for quality childcare available on campus will be adversely affected.  Beyond this fact, the University of Houston will lose the critical link with the Houston community that HDLS has fostered for over 40 years. We believe that HDLS can be saved under the stewardship of a competent and ethical management structure.  Indeed, we respectfully submit that the school must be saved for the sake of UH, current HDLS and alumni families, and the greater Houston community. To this end, we extend our hands, hearts and minds to do everything in our power to assist in efforts to retain the program and its commitment to serving UH as well as the larger community. We are requesting a meeting with the Provost and/or President to discuss the HDLS. Thank you for considering our urgent request.

Sincerely,

HDLS Parent Advisory Board, Executive Committee

Chair, Raúl A. Ramos, Ph.D.

Vice Chair, Marna W. Marsh, Ph.D.

Secretary, Carrie Dodrill, Ph.D.