School Engagement and Partnerships

PAVE supports family and community engagement staff at DC schools and agencies and provides resources for team reflection, team building, peer learning, and best practice sharing, all designed to elevate parent voice in education. School Engagement and Partnerships provides families and school-based staff with multiple ways to increase family engagement and advocacy.

Professional Learning Communities

PAVE partners in a collaborative learning experience to engage in rich collaboration, thought partnerships, and goal setting, which focus is to enhance the family engagement work happening in school communities. 

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Parent Blogging Partnership

Through a partnership with the Wayfinder Foundation, PAVE provides parents with blogging training and the tools and resources to create and publish blog posts in order to raise the real issues affecting our schools, communities, and children. 

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School Partnership Work

In order to further elevate best practices in family and community engagement, PAVE addresses specific family engagement needs particular to individual schools and networks such as individualized training support, training in data collection and analysis, and school program analysis.

Advisory Board

  • Sujata BhatEducation Forward DC

    Sujata Bhat is the Senior Manager on the Public Engagement team at Education Forward DC, a grantmaking organization focused on increasing access to high-quality school options across DC for all students and families, particularly those who have been historically underserved. Sujata was previously an Associate Partner in NewSchools Venture Fund’s Washington, D.C. office. Prior to joining NewSchools, she was the founding Executive Director of My School DC, the common application and lottery system for district and public charter schools in DC. In its first year of operation, My School DC collected application from more than 22,000 students for approximately 200 schools. She also served as the Director of Operations at DC Prep, a high-performing charter network in DC. Sujata holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Human Development from the University of Chicago and a Master of Public Administration from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.

  • Robert CrosbyFlamboyan Foundation

    Robert Crosby is the Managing Director of Program Design at the Flamboyan Foundation. He leads the team focused on the strategy, design, and execution of school partnerships to support the unique and ongoing needs of students and families throughout their educational career while building a cohesive strategy across all grade levels. Prior to joining Flamboyan, Robert served as the founding Academic Dean at Achievement First Aspire Elementary School in Brooklyn, New York, where he supported the execution of high impact family engagement. Robert began his career as a classroom educator and taught in Washington, D.C. and Hong Kong. After his time in the classroom, he transitioned to the Teach for America - D.C. Regional Office, where he served as a coach of teacher and leadership development. Robert holds a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from George Mason University, a teaching credential in early childhood education and a Bachelor of Journalism in strategic communications from the University of Missouri.

  • Hilary DarilekE.L. Haynes Public Charter School

    Hilary Darilek serves as the Chief Executive Officer of E.L. Haynes Public Charter School. Previous to this role, Hilary served as the DCPS Deputy Chief of the Principal Effectiveness division where she oversaw the systems design and operationalization of the recruitment, selection, development, evaluation, and retention of school leaders for all DC Public Schools. Hilary also served as Managing Director of the DC Program of New Leaders- a leading, national urban principal training program working with both the district and charter schools of the city. She began her career as a middle school math and science teacher in Baltimore, Maryland and as an education researcher at the RAND Corporation. Darilek holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from the College of William and Mary, a master's degree in teaching from the Johns Hopkins University, a master's degree from the London School of Economics in applied mathematics, and an executive master’s degree in leadership from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.

  • Raymond WeedenDC Prep Public Charter School

    Raymond A. Weeden, Jr. is the Senior Director of Policy and Community Engagement at DC Prep Public Charter School where he leads efforts to organize school stakeholders and serves as an advocate for DC Prep and quality public education throughout the city. Raymond joined DC Prep in 2012 as Principal of the Benning Elementary campus. Before coming to DC Prep, Raymond served as Principal of Chavez Parkside Middle School from 2008-2012. During that time, he also served on DC Promise Neighborhood Principal's Council. Froom 2004-2008, Raymond served as a math teacher, Department Chair, and finally, Resident Principal at SEED Public Charter School. He currently serves on the boards for DC Special Education Coop, Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys PCS and Serve DC. Raymond holds a bachelor's degree and a Master of Teaching in Elementary Education and Teaching from the University of Virginia, and a master's degree from Trinity University - Washington.