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Empower

Great schools are comprised of committed, collaborative communities of educators and families. We aspire for parents of Rocketeers to be engaged, long-term advocates for their own children’s education and for closing the achievement gap in their communities.  Through active participation in the Rocketship community, each parent has the opportunity to develop firsthand experience of educational excellence, a sense of personal ownership over educational choices for all students available in their community, and an understanding of what it takes to effect real change for kids.  Parent empowerment at Rocketship’s K-5 schools enables parents to extend the growth trajectory of students through upper grades and college.
 

Parental engagement starts teaching parents how to influence positive outcomes for their own children in school by ensuring high levels of prompt attendance, managing the completion of homework, and reinforcing high expectations and aspirations for student learning.  More broadly, parental engagement at the school level includes active, productive participation in community meetings, parent/family meetings, home visits from a Rocketship teacher, active participation in parent conferences and volunteering at the school. School staff members work directly with parents to reinforce the knowledge, skills and mindsets that encourage parents’ active participation and integration into the Rocketship community.

Parents who express a desire to be heavily involved with Rocketship are presented with opportunities to participate on a school board for one of the Rocketship schools and/or the Parent Leadership Group.  The Parent Leadership Group participates in the annual teacher interview process and is an advocate for the school-wide parent community at community meetings.


Beyond Rocketship, we envision parents becoming active champions to expand excellent educational opportunities in their communities. Armed with the knowledge, skills and mindsets, Rocketship parents will influence the opening of great schools or the transformation of under performing schools; they will influence the outcomes of school board and other local elections to ensure that elected candidates are advocates for change in policy decisions.  For their own children, Rocketship parents will continue to reinforce the mindsets, expectations, and habits that will ensure success over their child's long-term educational career.

 

Rocketeers
in action