Her twenty-year mission has led to legislative changes throughout the country including guest speaking engagements reliving her unsettling experience on Capitol Hill and the White House. [email protected], Yahaira Lopez is the founder of Autism Sprinter, Inc: a parent led grassroots organization building parents as experts in special education. NPU unites these organizations behind a common set of principles that put children and families at the center of education politics and policy. Market data provided by Factset. NPU is helping bring together parents who alone and on their own are often the powerless, but by organizing their voices through the National Parents Union can become the powerful. In his formative years he was actively involved in programs to promote positive lifestyles in youth using education, art, culture, theatre and sports. Rodrigues began her career as an award-winning journalist and continued her career in advocacy as a long-time labor activist, communicator and organizer with the world’s largest local labor union, 1199SEIU, leading major campaigns across the country. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Kelley’s actions were inspired to expand the educational and social opportunities for her children that the existing school could probably not provide. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. "We will assemble delegates, agree on by-laws, vote on ratification, and form our union.". He is fluent in English and speaks Spanish. National Parents Union appears to be an umbrella for groups working in their states on privatization of public goods, primarily schools. He served as assistant secretary for communications and outreach in the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration’s first term. She is committed to this work not only for them but also for the many youths whose futures are so important. Bibb Hubbard is Founder & President of Learning Heroes. He has a background in conflict transformation, community organizing and United Nations peacekeeping. My passion is equipping parents, families, and community leaders to become more fortified in their establishment of foundational, generational, adequate progress, and lasting change. Instead, Rodrigues said she was met with indifference and ineptitude from instructors who were supposed to be helping her boy. National Parents Union voting on five top priority initiatives on Saturday, January 18, 2020. She has engaged in the real work of addressing and ending the school to prison pipeline by building and leading career readiness and career technical education in juvenile court and community schools. Social Studies Graduate Certificate in Secondary Urban Education with Licensure. The superior school I attended was the private school of my city. I hold a B.S. Today her crusade continues to bring awareness to the issues of inequality and injustices that affect lower socio-economic areas. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. When I noticed my youngest son wasn’t receiving the education he deserved in our neighborhood public school, that’s when we began our school journey to find a school that would best fit him. Currently, I am the Founding Executive Director of RootED Northwest Arkansas, National Parents Union Council Member and Justice of the Peace for District #4 in Springdale, Arkansas. "Walking out on kids during a strike for example, in schools that have zero percent proficiency is appalling," Marquez continued. A two-day leadership training event in Pittsburgh, PA for current elected officials, individuals seeking to run for public office, and community stakeholders. Their continued goal is to reform and define a new K-12 national agenda by organizing local parents who feel their children's needs haven't been met. Nehemiah Frank is a fierce advocate for charter and community schools. Stern, who serves as SEIU's president emeritus, spoke with Fox News and offered his total support. He is a founding delegate for the National Parents Union and serves on the Reimagining School Safety and Membership Committees. or redistributed. Keri Rodrigues and Alma Marquez said they were so appalled by the low standards of America's public school teachers unions, they formed the National Parents Union (NPU), so families could have a greater say in their children's education. Our mission is to support parents who have lived experience and are authentic voices, advocates and organizers who are engaging, educating and empowering families, neighborhood by neighborhood across the United States. That is an F. So to say that we have teachers that are getting our kids to where they need to be, I would have to say, no.". To help gain more equality in having a social media presence and being taken seriously as a young adult advocate for education! She’s a community activist, completed collage as a drug and alcohol counselor, ordained pastor, and former task force member for CADRE, Community Asset Development Redefining Education based in Los Angeles, California. Nick Givas is a reporter with Fox News. Seeing a need for parents to be active in the education of their children, I created the organization Puerto Rico Parent’s Voices, I am the founder and spokesperson of this organization. The National Parents Union is aiming to be exactly what its name implies, an organization that elevates the voice and interests of parents and, by extension their children, into the national conversation. from New York University Law School and a BA in Political Science from Columbia University. Opportunity is not. Marisol has formed and used her voice as an educational advocate for students, parents and our communities, while creating space and providing resources for staff, students, and parents to elevate theirs. Peter Cunningham is the founder of Education Post. Two moms, on different coasts, organizing in our neighborhood without even a tenth of a percent of how much money they have – and we have them scared.". ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. Bibb has served on the Boards of City Year New York and the Boys & Girls Club of Alexandria, VA and is an active board member with the New York City Leadership Academy. We have teachers who are paid $100,000 a year on average in Boston and there is between 36-40 percent proficiency in English, and that is heralded as a success," Rodrigues said. Peter is affiliated with Whiteboard Advisors, a DC-based education policy, research and communications firm. Parent Impact envisions creating opportunities where parents are partners and leaders in their communities. She is available for booking to groups of any size. I graduated from the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science then moving on to earn a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Yahaira’s work is dedicated to improving the lives of families and their loved ones presented with unique abilities navigating systems that seem impossible to understand. After graduation, I served as a mathematics teacher at Springdale High School and Haas Hall Academy in Bentonville. “It has become a political negotiation between teachers unions and superintendents and, frankly, parents want off the roller coaster,” said Keri Rodrigues, co-founder of … The proposed group, which is yet to be registered, will be called Zimbabwe Parents Union and is led by Martin Maziwisa. When I get mad I organize. Rodrigues added, "We’ve had enough. "They resent our autonomy so they’ll attack [us]. This experience helped me identify my passion and purpose to provide a space for parents to become powerful advocates for their child’s education. Yahaira has over 15 years of experience working with children, youth and families in many different capacities. She was granted clemency by then-Governor John Kasich who replied, ” When I first heard about this situation, it seemed to me that the penalty was excessive for the offense. The founding members are the New York City Parents Union, Connecticut Parents Union, Pennsylvania Parents Union, Texas Parents Union, Ohio Parents Union and Moms for School Choice.” "For far too long, the conversation around education has often excluded the biggest and most important advocates for children, their parents. Recent/past positions 11th ward committee person, President of the Simon Gratz Mastery Charter High School Parent Association, member and Vice President of the Mastery Parent Action Council, Community Advocacy Manager for Mastery Charter Schools in Camden NJ, Bilingual Resource Parent Coordinator for El Concilio. The Parent Union is an active community of caring parents from across the state. made national headlines in 2011, when she was arrested and served ten days in jail for sending her two daughters outside of their designated school district in Akron. All rights reserved. Bibb brings extensive experience in communications, policy, and advocacy from the public, private and philanthropic sectors to her role as Founder & President of Learning Heroes. We cannot allow this. A native New Yorker, Peter began his career as a journalist with small weekly newspapers in New York. Previously, as Vice President of Policy, Dan helped build TNTP into “a leading voice on teacher quality” and co-authored TNTP’s acclaimed study on the failures of the nation’s teacher evaluation systems, The Widget Effect, which has helped to catalyze evaluation reforms in more than 30 states since 2009. Mother of 6, three bio, 3 foster(1 adopted in 2019). Frank is a former school teacher and assistant principal and now spends his time advocating for parents and students in BIPOC communities. Parents and families have the power to change the conversation and politics around education reform and innovation. He is featured in The New York Times, NBC NEWS (print edition), Los Angeles Times, The 74, etc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A program designed for AAPI undergraduate aged students looking to increase their experience in public policy and service. She is the founder of The Village, an outreach and recruitment team that ensures that future outcomes for children are prioritized within the community, philanthropic and education environments. Prior to establishing RootED Northwest Arkansas, I served as the Education Program Manager at the Cisneros Center for New Americans. The most important omission may be that there is already a National Parents Union: “The National Parents Union was founded in 2012. pursues legislative social change that will serve the underrepresented. Per the organization’s website: As TNTP’s Chief Executive Officer, Dan Weisberg oversees TNTP’s executive team and all aspects of the organization’s operations, strategy and growth. Before TNTP, Dan served as Chief Executive of Labor Policy and Implementation for the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), the country’s largest public school system. Her story has also been featured on national news programs and talk shows hosted by Dr. Phil and Tom Joyner. “I worked in labor, working for the SEIU, and I spent a big chunk of my career in politics," Rodrigues told Fox News. Proving the opportunities now are greater than they’ve ever been; you should use your voice and start your generational success! Bernita is the mother of two beautiful children and a grandmother of one. [email protected], For all media inquiries, please contact: [email protected], Paid for by the National Parents Union for Education Equality. I said, 'Andy, I’m going to start a parents union. A favorite Bible scripture: And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. The group is intentionally inclusive — explicitly welcoming, for instance, grandparents and formerly incarcerated parents — and aims to broaden parent involvement and help parents reach policymakers. The site is well chosen. DEMOCRATS KEEPING CHARTER SCHOOLS DOWN IN EXCHANGE FOR TEACHER'S UNION CASH, TOP ACTIVIST SAYS, "This is not about left or right. I was born and raised in San Diego, California where I gained a deep understanding and appreciation for culture and diversity. Mason was co-founder of PNEU together with Emeline Petrie Steinthal. Colleen is the Director of Member Communications for the National Parents Union, a network of highly effective parent organizations and grassroots activists across the country that is united behind a set of common goals and principles to channel the power of parents, as well as a volunteer serving as President of the board for The National Coalition for Public School Options, a national alliance of parents that supports and defends parents’ rights to access the best public school options for their children. I gained confidence in my voice, and I been fight ever since. This is about what is right and wrong for our kids," he said in an email. 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