Families In Action For Quality Education

FAMILIES IN ACTION FOR QUALITY EDUCATION'S WORK HAS FOUR PILLARS: WE BUILD THE LEADERSHIP CAPACITY OF PARENTS, YOUTH, EDUCATORS AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS. WE FIGHT FOR UNDERSERVED STUDENTS TO GAIN ACCESS TO QUALITY SCHOOL EXPERIENCES. WE CHAMPION A VISION FOR HIGH QUALITY SCHOOLS FOR ALL STUDENTS, NO MATTER IF THEY ATTEND DISTRICT OR CHARTER SCHOOLS. WE BUILD COALITIONS AND WORK TO CONNECT AND ENGAGE A RANGE OF OAKLAND EDUCATORS.

LEADERSHIP: FIA HAS HOSTED AN EDUCATIONAL PARENT AND YOUTH INSTITUTES AND COVERED TOPICS ON LITERACY, SBAC DATA AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. MORE THAN 100 FAMILY LEADERS WERE TRAINED THROUGH FIA'S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTES AND BENEFITED FROM 1:1 LEADERSHIP COACHING FROM FIA'S ORGANIZERS, BUILDING THEIR CONFIDENCE, VOICE AND ORGANIZING SKILLS.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: FIA ORGANIZED CHARTER SCHOOL LEADERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES WITH A MORE PROACTIVE AND MULTIFACETED CIVIC POWER CAMPAIGN IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: CANVASSING (FIA PARENTS INTERVIEWED POTENTIAL VOTERS ABOUT EDUCATION ISSUES) AND CONDUCTED RESEARCHED ACTION MEETINGS WITH CANDIDATES (EXERCISED THEIR POWER AND VOICE AND SHARED THEIR POWERFUL STORIES TO CHALLENGE POLICY MAKERS TO IMPROVE PUBLIC EDUCATION). THESE EFFORTS PREPARED PARENTS TO LEAD A NON PARTISAN CANDIDATE FORUM THAT INCLUDED CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR THE CITY OF OAKLAND MAYOR AND OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION. QUALITY CAMPAIGN: A-G COLLEGE ELIGIBILITY: FIA CHAMPIONED THE A-G QUALITY CAMPAIGN THAT BROUGHT AWARENESS TO OAKLAND'S A-G COLLEGE ELIGIBLITY RATES AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. DURING THE SPRING FIA HOSTED THE A-G AWARDS CELEBRATING SCHOOLS WHOSE STUDENTS ACHIEVE AT 80% OR MORE A-G ELIGIBILITY. THE A-G CAMPAIGN ALLOWED FIA TO HIGHLIGHT THE STRENGTHS OF CHARTER SCHOOLS WITH COLLEGE ELIGIBILITY AND TO BE A CITYWIDE LEADER IN PRESSURING FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE CHANGE. THIS CAMPAIGN ALLOWED US TO BUILD A POWERFUL BRAND AS ADVOCATES FOR QUALITY. WE SPENT THE FALL OF 2021 ENGAGING COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS TO FORMALLY SUPPORT OUR A-G DEMANDS. FIA PARENTS AND YOUTH HOSTED TRAINING SESSIONS AND SENT HUNDREDS OF EMAILS TO URGE OAKLAND BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS TO ADDRESS THIS GAP. IN THE SPRING OF 2022, BOARD MEMBERS UNITED IN SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF A-G POLICY SHIFTS. FIA YOUTH LEADERS FROM BOTH DISTRICT AND CHARTER HIGH SCHOOLS WORKED WITH US TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND LEAD THE FIGHT TO IMPROVE COLLEGE ELIGIBILITY FOR OAKLAND'S BLACK AND BROWN STUDENTS.

DC ADVOCACY: FIA SENT A DELEGATION OF 25 YOUTH AND PARENTS AS FEATURED SPEAKERS ON THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PUBLIC CHARTERS' DAY OF ACTION IN OUR NATION'S CAPITAL IN MAY. THEY JOINED OVER 1,000 STUDENTS AND FAMILIES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S HARSH RESTRICTIONS ON CHARTER SCHOOLS.

TEACHER LEADER FELLOWSHIP: FIA'S TEACHER LEADER FELLOWSHIP WAS AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR TEACHER LEADERS WHO EXPRESSED A COMMITMENT TO EDUCATIONAL EQUITY, SCHOOL QUALITY, AND FAMILY CHOICE. THIS FELLOWSHIP WILL BUILT THE LEADERSHIP CAPACITY OF TEACHER FELLOWS AS CHAMPIONS FOR THEIR SCHOOLS AND FOR QUALITY SCHOOLS FOR ALL OAKLAND STUDENTS. TEACHERS LEFT THE FELLOWSHIP WITH A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE EDUCATION LANDSCAPE AND A PLAN TO MOBILIZE VOTERS ACROSS OAKLAND FOR THE 2022 ELECTION.