Meet the Parent Activists of the Pandemic

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The pandemic has put unique hurdles in front of parents as they mobilize to shape their children’s education, from the push for in-person schooling—or home-school alternatives—to long-term demands for parent empowerment. EdWeek’s video team tells the story of four parent activists who pushed forward despite institutional head winds.

A Parent Organizes to Pry Schools Open

Concerned by his children’s struggles with online schooling, Los Angeles parent Ross Novie created the group LA School Uprising to pressure the Los Angeles Unified School district to reopen for in-person instruction.

In Detroit, Parents Equip Other Parents to Do Home Schooling Right

Bernita Bradley founded the home-school cooperative Engaged Detroit during the pandemic to equip parents and caregivers with the tools to meet the needs of their students as Detroit schools moved to remote learning.

Organizing for Resources—and a Parent Voice in Decisionmaking

Adrian Gray, a parent of five children in East Oakland, Calif., organized other parents to advocate for safe in-person schooling for their children, and pushed through a resolution establishing a committee on Black student reparations.

Doubling Down When Parent Advocacy Faces Pushback

Heather Moselle, a parent in Hawaii, mobilized to have the state drop a controversial online learning program and curriculum due to racially offensive and sexist content, despite pushback to parental activism.

Kaylee Domzalski

Video Producer, Education Week

Kaylee Domzalski is a video producer for Education Week.

Brooke Saias

Video Producer, Education Week

Brooke Saias is a video producer for Education Week, working to tell stories about the impact of education on communities.

Coverage of strategies for advancing the opportunities for students most in need, including those from low-income families and communities, is supported by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, at www.waltonk12.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.