On Tuesday November 28, over 100 LAUSD families gathered at Bethune Middle School in South Los Angeles to learn about Innovate’s Family Guide to the LAUSD Strategic Plan. The guide was co-created by Innovate Public Schools and LAUSD to help families understand the goals outlined in LAUSD’s 2022-26 Strategic Plan. This collaboration demonstrates what’s possible when school systems acknowledge the valuable role of parents and caregivers and create pathways for them to engage in schools. Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho stood alongside Innovate Parent Leaders, Norma Diaz and Rosie Coleman and Bethune’s school Principal, Sharon Brown to celebrate the release of the Family Guide.
Hannah Gravette (Innovate) stands alongside Parent Leaders Norma Diaz and Rosie Coleman, LAUSD Supt. Carvalho, and Bethune Middle School Principal, Sharon Brown
Superintendent Carvalho opened up the event at Bethune’s school library.
“Today is a great day for LAUSD and for Innovate Public Schools, but particularly a great day for the families of our school system. I’m here to celebrate this partnership, to celebrate our parents…and certainly to celebrate the leadership of Innovate Public Schools. This is a vibrant community that has a lot of voices.” – LAUSD Supt. Alberto M. Carvalho
In 2022, LAUSD released a Strategic Plan called “Ready for the World.” The plan itself is a 66-page document that sets ambitious goals to improve student achievement and close opportunity gaps by 2026. When Supt. Carvalho joined Innovate Public Schools for a parent-led meeting in November 2022, Parent Leader Norma Diaz and a group of other core Parent Leaders asked Carvalho to collaborate with families to develop an easy-to-understand guide to the Strategic Plan. As a result, LAUSD partnered with Innovate to create a guide rooted in the voices of parents that encourages families to play an active role in the success of students and schools.
At the Family Guide launch, Innovate parent leader Norma Diaz shared in Spanish, “Many parents are dissatisfied with the fact that only three out of 10 LAUSD third graders can read fluently…If we want our children to recover and thrive, they need our full support. The Family Guide provides parents with the information and tools they need to participate as partners in their children’s education. When parents have tools to engage as partners, they can empower children to reach their full potential.”
Empowering parents to foster community
Families in attendance participated in an interactive workshop organized by LAUSD’s Family Academy in partnership with Community Organizing Director in Los Angeles, Carlos Rodriguez and Director of Research and Policy, Jennifer Perla. Innovate Parent Leaders facilitated small-group conversations alongside LAUSD’s Parent Education Support Assistants (PESA) to help parents familiarize themselves with the guide and practice using it.
The auditorium at Bethune Middle School buzzed with energy and enthusiasm as hundreds of parents actively engaged in conversations surrounding their school experiences. Parents expressed hopes and concerns and exchanged ideas for using the Family Guide to navigate conversations with teachers and principals. In the spirit of building community and creating a culture of shared learning among parents, each group was invited to share out key learnings from the Family Guide. Afterwards, the audience got to hear from two parents who volunteered to role play as a principal and parent to demonstrate how the guide can be used in real time.
For parents like Kelly Bedford, the Family Guide is a tangible tool that affirms what types of questions she can ask to ensure her son’s school, Westchester High is meeting goals like eliminating opportunity gaps for Black and Brown students, advancing anti-racist instructional practices, and personalizing learning for all students.
“The guide empowers families by uplifting our voices. It clearly spells out what I should see on campus and questions I can ask that measure how successful my son’s school is in aligning their efforts to the Strategic plan. I know Superintendent Carvalho supports this guide because he signed the letter to families saying so.” – Innovate Parent Leader, Kelly
Bedford
Superintendent Carvalho acknowledged the need for this Family Guide to not only ensure the Strategic Plan is successful, but to also encourage more parents to play an active role in driving student success. “Parents needed something else beyond the Strategic Plan. They needed a guide to help them navigate the intricacies and the details of the Strategic Plan…but then also promote their own engagement with schools, school staffs, principals, teachers, superintendents, school board members on how to elevate their voice to bring meaning, advocacy and opportunity to their own students.”
The Family Guide is a testament to what organized parents can achieve when they exercise their power as parents. Innovate Public Schools is proud to support the organizing efforts led by hundreds of Parent Leaders throughout Los Angeles who made this Family Guide possible. Through our partnership with LAUSD, we have created a tool rooted in parent voice that encourages parents to engage as partners who can empower children to reach their full potential.
Click Here to Download the Family Guide
Innovate Public Schools is a nonprofit community organization that builds the capacity of parents and educators working together to create excellent and equitable public schools.