This month, Innovate parent leaders continued building power for students and families through research meetings, listening campaigns, community engagement, and leadership development. Find out how parent leaders took action across California:
Parent leaders in San Francisco held a research meeting with Kunal Modi, Chief of Health & Human Services from the Office of the Mayor Daniel Lurie to collaborate around their priorities, which include expanding access to high-impact tutoring and sharing AIEP (a-iep.org), an AI tool for IEPs, with more families across San Francisco. Research meetings provide an opportunity for parent leaders to ask questions, share family experiences, and learn directly from educational decision-makers so they can advocate for meaningful change. During the meeting, parent leaders presented data on the opportunity gap in San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) between all students and students with individualized educational programs (IEPs). An opportunity gap is the difference in access to the resources and supports students need to succeed.
Leaders also shared a demo of the AIEP tool they developed alongside partners at the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University. With 35 families in attendance, meeting with Mr. Modi was the starting point to building a partnership between parents and city leaders.
Innovate Parent leaders in Los Angeles held a research meeting with Antonio Plascencia, Engagement Officer and the team at Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) Office of Family Engagement to learn more about LAUSD’s approach to family engagement and the role families play in supporting student success. Together, parents and district leaders are working to ensure parents across the district are energized and empowered to be key decision makers in their students’ education.
In the Peninsula region of the Bay Area, parent leaders in Ravenswood expanded their listening campaign. Leaders are focused on building awareness on chronic absenteeism, understanding why children Ravenswood are not coming to school, and building new community partnerships. Leaders also met with the superintendent to share that they have connected with 300 families and 95 families have completed a survey to better understand barriers to attendance and hear directly from families about what they need for their children to succeed. The work for the listening campaign will continue through the summer and we look forward to sharing the findings at the beginning of the school year.
In Redwood City, leaders met with families at the Multicultural Institute, a nonprofit organization that supports day laborer families, to introduce Innovate’s work and invite families into the Redwood City Parent Leadership Team. They shared Innovate’s organizing model, the AIEP tool, and how parent leaders build relationships as the foundation for collective power and change. Twenty families attended, and many were interested in how organized parents make decisions, build leadership, and work together to create change.