Here’s how parent advocates are making a difference.

Raising five children, Ary French learned that showing up to ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ events wasn’t enough—real change required understanding how to help parents navigate the systems from birth to adulthood.

When districts say one thing but do another
Leslie Caraballo got tired of relaying the same empty promises to the frustrated parents in her community, until she realized she needed to go beyond complaints and invoke the law.

Finding parent power by infiltrating the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ district
When board meetings and protests failed to create change, parent advocate Maribel Gardea got strategic—placing parents on district councils and offering solutions until administrators had no choice but to listen.

Behind-the-scenes bridgebuilding
When ShaElla Askew failed to focus angry parents at her child’s ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ toward effective advocacy, she convinced the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ to transform how it communicated with families.