Across Oakland public schools, a powerful movement is growing – one where parents aren’t just passively involved in their children’s education, but are actively shaping it. Recently, 60 parents from 12 different Oakland schools came together with Families in Action (FIA) organizers to celebrate their collective work improving academic outcomes for all children in Oakland.
Lazear parent coordinator Rocio Gonzalez and Lazear mother Edelmira Zaragoza share changes in their school with their effort.
The gathering brought together a cross-section of Oakland’s education community, including OUSD Network Superintendents Sabrina Moore and Leroy Gaines, along with Education for Change (EFC) Superintendent Larissa Adam and Chief of Schools Abigail Nuñez. These leaders joined FIA organizers in celebrating parents and students who led and drove change through innovative initiatives..
Education for Change, the first to partner with FIA to pilot Lit4Literacy, a groundbreaking parent advocacy initiative that has since spread to schools across Oakland, was clear about how much effort this has taken and why it has been worth it.
“This year we set out with an even bolder vision than ever around what it truly means for our parents and our schools to partner to ensure the best education for their children and our students. At times we stumbled, hit roadblocks, faced exhaustion, and wondered if we could pull off new and instrumental pivots such as the Family Academic Partnership Team and the Academic Town Hall. But we did it! Together- FIA, EFC, each school, and each team, we are redesigning, rebuilding, and generating the muscle memory within each school community to do the work of parent partnership differently, meaningfully, and effectively.” said EFC Chief of Schools, Abigail Nuñez.
Parents and school administrators packed the room at Preservation Park
Most end-of-year education events feature speeches, panels, or awards. But, as usual, FIA did something different: an evening where parent voices took center stage. The first hour included dinner and some speeches but the second hour embraced the World Café protocol, which is a discussion method created by Juanita Brown and David Isaacs to “shape the world through conversations that matter.”
The name World Café reflects a casual, collaborative spirit, where small groups explore topics from different perspectives. To ensure diverse viewpoints were represented, FIA’s Director of Partnerships and Organizing, Tania Gutiérrez, structured each table with a mix of principals, teachers, parent coordinators, district leaders, funders, and parents.
The first discussion question asked: Why was Lit4Literacy and/or the parent Power Surge important to you? What was a moment that was impactful? Why?
Participants practiced an innovative discussion protocol in which everyone’s voice carried equal weight.
Participants recorded their thoughts on paper using symbols to activate different parts of the brain, which was a deliberate choice to break old thought patterns about what’s possible for Oakland families and catalyze new ideas. After timed shares, one person stayed behind to summarize key points for the next group. Following three rounds of dialogue, everyone returned to their school-based “home groups” to reflect on insights.
Sergio Avila from Garfield Elementary, new to Lit4Literacy, shared his gratitude for the evening with FIA organizer Viveca Ycoy-Walton:
“I was amazed to learn how much parents are doing! I’m just getting started. It was great to see how far this work can go.”
The evening’s conversations proved what FIA has long championed: when parents are equipped with knowledge, community, and a seat at the table, they become unstoppable forces for transformative change. Oakland’s families are rewriting the script. As Sergio Avila’s excitement shows, this is only the beginning.
