Parent Leadership
Join a Collective of Parents Sparking Change
A parent is a child’s first teacher and lifelong advocate. Parents hold extraordinary power to change outcomes for their children and improve the quality of their community. But they often don’t have a seat at decision-making tables. We’re working to change that. Rocketship’s parent leadership team exists to build power within people. We’re committed to serving families and one key way we do this is by partnering with parents through each school’s Parent Organizing Committee. We strive to elevate parents’ voices so they can create short and long-term local change.
We believe every parent can become a parent leader. Parents who get involved in this work aren’t elected and don’t need any past experience. And as they learn about new issues affecting their community and acquire new skills, we hope parents use their experiences at Rocketship to build power and create change in their communities for generations to come.
How Education Organizers Support Parents
Have you ever wondered how school funding decisions are made? Do you wonder who in your city decides local laws about housing, voter rights, and immigration issues that affect you and your family? Rocketship’s Education Organizers teach parents how these decisions are made and how to use their voices to make a difference.
Education organizers show parents how they can get involved in their school’s parent leadership community and support those who are on their schools’ Parent Organizing Committee (also known as a POC). The POC meets regularly and here parents learn about issues that impact their community. Education Organizers provide workshops and trainings for these parents to build their skills in communication, advocacy, and launching campaigns to ensure parents’ voices are heard.
Profiles of Parent Power
Meet Eva Heredia, Parent Leader in San Jose, CA
“I never thought I’d be involved in politics. I didn’t think my voice mattered. The community organizers showed me that advocacy is about fighting for a better future for our kids. It’s about seeing the opportunity ahead and making it a reality.”
Meet Graciela Rodriguez, Parent Leader in Nashville, TN
“I always thought it was the teachers and school leaders who made the decisions and just sent home letters. But now being involved as a parent leader, I realized I can change my child’s education.”
Meet Angel Curry, Parent Leader in Washington DC
“If we all took a couple of extra steps to make our children’s education much better we can make a big impact. We can all come together and rally for the change we want in our children. And that’s something I love, at Rocketship we have a voice.”
Meet Yolanda Seban, Parent Leader in Fort Worth, Texas
“Rocketship believed in me. I didn’t believe I had a voice other than what other people told me to do. And in a matter of meeting a group of women in 2019 to now, I have so much belief in myself.”
Meet Ieisha Wiggins, Parent Leader in Milwaukee, WI
“Fearful that I didn’t have a loud enough voice, becoming part of the Parent Leadership Organizing Committee has assisted me in finding and utilizing my parent power. I’ve learned how loud my voice is without shouting. Most importantly, I am developing the necessary skills needed to be an advocate for equitable quality education!”
Parent Leadership in Action
Nashville Parents Change Local Legislation & Add 5th Grade to their Schools
Nashville’s Parent Organizing Committee led an effort to expand local charter schools to include fifth grade. Without this, all families at elementary charter schools in the area would be forced to go to a new school for only fifth grade, then go to a separate middle school the year after. A powerful group of parents from Rocketship and two other Nashville charter schools assembled to publicly share their unique stories about their families’ academic journeys. Their efforts were successful and local officials agreed to change the local legislation – a huge win for families in Nashville!
5,500 Parents Come Together to Stand with Great Schools in the Bay Area
In 2021, 5,500 families from 5 charter networks and 20 public schools virtually convened for the second Stand for Great Schools event. The first event occurred in 2019, when 2,500 gathered in-person to support exceptional charter schools and ensure local officials heard parents’ perspectives in the community.
