At Our Core: The Power of Parent Advocacy

During challenging weeks and joyous milestones in student achievement alike, strong parent advocacy and family engagement remain essential to our mission and the success of our students.   The magic of parent advocacy was at work during this week’s Community Meeting at Cole. Staff, DSST: Cole & CASA families, DPS, and DPD came together to discuss last week’s events and how to best move forward. The meeting was not approached without some trepidation, especially after a whirlwind of parent fear and frustration. But what actually happened was incredible. Parents spoke out respectfully and with sincere concern for the staff and students across the entire campus, ending in tears of compassion and a new resolve to come together more often. Instead of being critical or dismissive of the school and making plans to leave the community, parents approached the problem with suggestions on reaching out to students and creating a safer place for their children to thrive. While the reasons for the meeting were heavy, the amount of parents constructively sharing their concerns as well as their desire to affect change was incredibly uplifting.

Our teachers and staff work tirelessly to inspire and motivate DSST students, but empowering and engaging families is also imperative to our success. It’s not just about navigating parent complaints. We need outspoken and passionate parent advocates more than ever, heard by the community and the school, and involved in the education journeys of their students.

As the search for the new DPS superintendent progresses, we continue to hope you will get out and let your voice be heard at the upcoming community meetings. Having a strong arsenal of advocates who will show up for us in these settings and share their own stories is equally important. Please share the information for the community meetings and encourage parents to attend!

The impassioned voices of parent advocates will not just help inform the search for the new superintendent. They are key testimonials to other parents that can power student recruitment, and by painting a more vivid picture of the amazing things happening at DSST, they ultimately help to shift the narrative about high quality charter schools.

We continue to invite parents and caregivers to get active within the DSST community and share out the joy of learning and the strides their students make on their journey.  Both parents and staff can stay engaged in advocacy updates and opportunities by signing up for the DSST Advocacy Roundup - a regular communication resource for those who want to have opportunities to share their stories and advocate for students.

If you're interested in receiving the DSST Advocacy Roundup, please click below!