Without the voices of PAVE’s Parent Leaders, we would not be where we are today – first-in-the-nation growth in reading and math, a robust system of school choice, unprecedented access to early childhood education, and strong investments in post-secondary pathways. But DC’s education system has a long way to go to ensure every child in the District has access to a great school and everything they need to thrive. Today, only 1 out of 4 students are doing math at or above grade level, and only 1 out of 3 students are reading at or above grade level. While we have made huge gains in the last decade, the only way we continue to make progress is for parents to continue to be at the center of identifying the policies and pushing for the practices that we know work for kids of every background. And PAVE’s Parent Leaders are up for that next decade of fight for our kids and our schools. 

In our next decade, we want to:

• Double the number of students who are reading and doing math at or above grade level. We want every child to feel confident saying they are a math person and every child to have a cultivated love of literacy. We also want every educator to have the professional development they need to help kids meet those goals and have the high-quality curriculum and instruction teachers and school leaders need to ensure rigor and relevance in every classroom. 
• Close the resource gap between schools. Regardless of where a child goes to school, the type of school they go to, or what their special talents or needs are, every child should be able to attend a school that has all of the financial, facilities, instructional, curricular, mental health, and talent resources that they deserve. In uncertain economic times for the District, and given anticipated declines in enrollment, making sure our funding structures are equitable will be more important than ever.
• Elevate best practices AND innovation in education to further academic achievement and student success. DC has long been a center of innovative solutions in education and is often an early adopter of research-based best practices. Over time, who is in what seat in our education system can change but what is consistent is that parents and communities are always there to push for great schools for all kids. And PAVE Parent Leaders will continue to be at every policy table – and set the tables!
• GREAT SCHOOLS → BRILLIANT KIDS → POSITIVE OUTCOMES. PAVE Parent Leaders will keep the drumbeat on what accelerates learning and outcomes for our students and make sure education never gets mired in political battles and loses sight of our schools’ core mission to provide an excellent education to every child. From AI to workforce to out of school time experiences to diverse school choices, we are going to demand that our system responds and prioritizes our changing times and communities, never rests on our laurels, and always pushes for better. Because our kids deserve it.

Together, in this next decade, PAVE will continue to demonstrate what a school system can look like when parents are at the center and how they can help propel education forward. We aim to be a model that other cities and states can learn from and see that growth is possible when the people closest to the problem are the “imagineers” of the solutions.

Your sponsorship of the Parent Power Gala allows us to continue on our next decade of important work developing brilliant Parent Leaders and building a powerful parent-centered education system that supports DC’s future – our KIDS!

We invite you to join us for our PAVE Parent Power Awards at one of DC’s hottest venues:

District Winery (385 Water St SE)

Monday, December 7th, 2026

6:00-9:30 pm

Celebrate our Parent Leaders, partners, power and promise!