Voices for Change: Parent Leadership & Advocacy at Rocketship Public Schools

Abstract

Rocketship Public Schools (RPS)—a national network of public charter schools—has dedicated significant time and effort to building a strong family engagement culture across its campuses and developing a parent leadership and advocacy program. Through participating in this leadership development program, RPS parents are learning how to effectively use their voices and have influenced local and state policies that directly impact their families and communities. This brief shares strategies RPS has used to engage parents and help them move from participating in their own children’s schooling to more broadly advocating for solutions to community needs. It explains how RPS has centered parent voice and developed a strong family engagement culture, the advocacy events parents have led, and the specific strategies RPS has used to support parents as advocates and leaders. These strategies can provide a useful example for other districts, networks, and schools interested in deepening their parent engagement practices and supporting parents to advocate for their communities.