Innovate Public Schools

We've brought you along our journey organizing for increased translation and interpretation services for students and families with Individualized Education Plan's. From the start of the work locally, in 2022 with parent leaders in San Francisco organizing to pass a Resolution in SFUSD to now, in 2024, a CA State Senate Bill (SB445). “Ultimately, if parents can’t receive translated documents, they can’t meaningfully engage in their child’s education,” said Joanna French, senior director of research and policy strategies at Innovate Public Schools, an organization that works with parents to advocate for high-quality education. “They can’t provide informed consent. They can’t ask questions or push back on the services that are being proposed.” Read more in this EdSource article about the impact of SB445 and the impact it has on thousands of families in California.

🗳️✨ It's voting season! A few weeks ago, EdTrust-West's Greater LA Staff participated in the LAUSD Board District 1 Candidate Forum at Community Coalition, where candidates shared their educational priorities and plans to support South LA families. Discussions focused on vital topics like the Student Equity Needs Index (SENI), equitable funding, the Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP), and more. Together, let's advocate for LA's students and make informed voting choices! Community Coalition Alliance for a Better Community Innovate Public Schools Education Leaders of Color Communities In Schools of Los Angeles (CISLA) ExpandLA KIPP SoCal Public Schools City Year Los Angeles Partnership for Los Angeles Schools

Strong Communities, Strong Schools! My heart is full of gratitude to Alliance College Ready Public Schools for their powerful summit in the city of Los Angeles. Special appreciation to Jass Stewart, M.Ed., M.B.A. and Chris Reynoso for the invitation to speak - Innovate Public Schools is proud to work alongside so many powerful Black and Latino parent leaders, amazing partners and dedicated public schools throughout California. Shout out to Los Angeles City President Marqueece Harris-Dawson who made a strong case for the value of community organizing! We absolutely agree! Amazing words from EdTrust-West- Dr. Mayra Lara, California Charter School Association President - Myrna Castrejón, Community in Schools ED- Elmer G. Roldan and so many others! Powerful theme: Space, Love, Stories

Big win for special education families! 🎉 Governor Newsom signed SB 445 (Portantino) into law, helping parents who don’t speak English fully engage in their child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). This new law requires IEP templates to be translated into the top 10 most spoken languages in California by 2027! GO Public Schools is proud to have been part of the coalition advocating for this change alongside SB 445 co-sponsors Innovate Public Schools, Disability Rights California, and Educate.Advocate. This is a big step forward for equity in education, but there’s still more to be done! 

Meet Carmen Rodriguez, an Innovate Parent Leader and member of our San Francisco Parent Leader Team and Statewide Parent Leader Board. Carmen is a powerhouse, she brings lived experience to community action. Carmen was in Sacramento when we met with CA State Senator Portantino, she shared her testimony with the IEP process, presented solutions and worked alongside other parent leaders, Innovate staff and legislative staff to make sure this bill was signed into law. When we talk about building power, we talk about elevating community voices to the highest decision making spaces.

On September 28, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 445 into law. SB 445 was authored by Senator Anthony Portantino and co-sponsored by Innovate Public Schools, Disability Rights California, and Educate.Advocate. Over the past two years, Innovate co-led a coalition of community based organizations to champion this bill and urge the state to prioritize the needs of students with learning differences and their families. The coalition included Disability Rights California,Educate. Advocate., SpEducational, EdVoice, Visión y Compromiso, Teach Plus, Special Needs Network, Inc., Parents Helping Parents, and GO Public Schools, among others. This new legislation represents an important step forward in addressing the language barrier many parents of special education students face as they navigate the Individualized Education Program (IEP). We are thankful for parent leaders who took brave and bold action for two years- their persistency led us to this major win for students and families with IEPs and to our conspirators in the work who joined forces in coalition and advocacy to get this through the CA legislature and to the Governors desk. #organize #parentpower #educationadvocates #sped #communityaction #governornewsom #powerbuilding #CaliforniaLegislature

Our Flagship Program is back and Now Enrolling for Cohort 11. Launched in 2014, the Community Organizer Training Program (COTP) is a national, six-month, cohort-based training program designed for emerging and developing organizers in education organizing and grassroots advocacy. COTP has trained 235 community organizers across more than 20 cities through 10 cohorts. Many alumni have advanced to leadership roles in community organizations across the US, establishing COTP as a crucial platform for the training of community organizers and community based researchers. COTP enhances the skills of organizers and researchers dedicated to education justice by providing a comprehensive curriculum rooted in the Institution-Based Community Organizing model. Register now by visiting https://lnkd.in/gNAbt_H9

Jenny Perla, MPP is heading to Oakland today to talk about using data to measure and find schools closing opportunity gaps for Black and Latinx students. Poder is partnering with Innovate Public Schools and Cynthia Alcantar from Loyola Marymount University to engage participants in an interactive workshop to learn from our latest research! Drop by if you're attending EdTrust-West's Education Equity Forum! 📊 ✊ #EdEquityForum2024 #Education #Equity #Data

Congratulations to our Black Parent Network Community Organizer Cedric Nelms, MJA who received the Education Equity Champion Award- Grassroots Leadership at the EdTrust-West Ed Equity Forum! The primary mission of the Black Parent Network is to advocate for equitable and quality education for Black students by providing support, resources, and a collaborative platform for parents to share their experiences, exchange information, and develop strategies to promote positive change within the education system. We believe this is accomplished through fostering strong partnerships with schools, educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders to ensure that Black students receive fair treatment, access to opportunities, and culturally-responsive education. In doing so, we work towards dismantling systemic barriers and advocating for educational policies that eliminate disparities and enhance outcomes for Black students.

We are excited about our Innovate Staff presenting at the Ed Trust-West Ed Equity Forum!