Parent Leadership

Parent Leadership

Transformational change happens when Parent/Family Partners and Systems Partners come together for student success. We center parent voices and share power with parents. For that reason, every table in the alliance has parent representation for shared decision-making and co-development of solutions.

Our work is guided by the StriveTogether Community Engagement Spectrum. This was adapted with the intention of helping network members work toward creating equity in their communities by including those most impacted by decision-making. The spectrum serves as a guide and a resource to ensure youth and family voices have institutionalized power and that the systems that seek their marginalization are acknowledged and dismantled.

In 2020, we were featured on the StriveTogether Together for Change Podcast, where we discussed parent power.

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Parent Engagement

In 2021, we identified parent engagement as our Wildly Important Goal (WIG) to center parents and families as the experts in their children’s lives and to improve the way various systems engage them. To realize the opportunity from the pandemic and create transformational change, we are positioning parents as experts and influencers at the table to drive decisions throughout change efforts.

This is most evidenced by our work to create and sustain a valued platform for parent leadership, decision-making, and co-creation of solutions in RTFA, which has led to:

PECAN Manifesto, a public statement on parent goals for working in partnership with community organizations

Creation of the WIG which centered parent concerns and needs coming from the pandemic
PECAN Public Campaign to advocate for transparency from RCSD with respect to teacher discipline & practices

A shared-power structure with 50% parent/family partners and 50% systems partners that guide decision-making and strategy development for the Whole Child Initiative

PECAN Public Bimonthly Meetings to share critical systems information with the public, as well as to hear parent concerns

Parents as members of workgroups to bring voice and family perspective to the cradle to career continuum

To learn how you can become involved in our parent leadership efforts, contact Kimberly Felton, Family and Community Engagement Specialist, at kfelton@rocthefuture.org

Parent Engagement Collaborative Action
Network Co-Chairs

Janice Kpor

Parent/Family Partner

Makhi Whitley

Parent/Family Partner