Community Engagement and Organizing

We want to see a DC education system that is made up of great schools supported by policy that advances equity and excellence for all children, and we know that our city cannot make this a reality without parents.

Our model begins with a one-to-one meetingParents meet with one of PAVE’s Community Organizers, who connects them to resources and to other parents in their ward and community. Once parents are connected to each other, PAVE trains parents on policy and advocacy and engages them with their elected officials and education policymakers: parents attend events, go to house meetings hosted by Parent Leaders, and testify at hearings. Our parents are then empowered as leadersthey participate in Parent Leaders in Education Boards, host or chair house meetings, recruit other parents, and share their voices through blogs or op-ed posts.

Our Community Engagement and Organizing work includes:

  • Parent Leaders in Education Boards: Ward-based groups of parents who meet monthly to learn about advocacy and policy and strategize about important policy issues currently facing DC’s schools.
  • The annual PAVE Parent Policy Summit, where parent leaders vote on the issue areas of focus for PAVE’s work in the coming year.
  • Testimonies and engagement with current policy issues.

For more information or to get started, please email organizers@dcpave.org.