The Power of Public Schools

Parents for Public Schools-SF (PPS-SF) recognizes that public schools are an essential vehicle to advance civic and community connection, build relationships across differences, and bridge gaps to address pervasive economic inequities. Moreover, empowered parents/caregivers are critical to building strong public schools that yield these outcomes for the families and communities they serve. Far too often, the voices of parents who are furthest away from the table are absent from the dialogue and action agendas to understand, inform and shape public school policies and practices that directly impact their children’s educational experiences and outcomes. PPS-SF is advancing parent power by building the capacity of racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse parents to be informed and engaged advocates for their students, their schools, and the district. PPS-SF strives to strengthen parent engagement and partnership processes, systems, and practices to ensure meaningful and equitable opportunities for all students and families. PPS-SF’s work supports families and caregivers and encourages the San Francisco Unified School District to be responsive in meeting the needs of students, families, and caregivers.?

“Our Children, Our Schools” virtual gala celebrates the impact that Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco is having on our children, our schools and our city of San Francisco. You may sign up at our?Evite page?to receive a free Zoom link for the evening of May 24th beginning at 5:00 pm PST.??

This will be a night to remember, so sign up now! When you RSVP on our Evite page, you can choose a free shirt from our PPS-SF store:?https://www.ppssf.org/apparel. We can all wear our shirts as a united team that evening and whenever we want to show some love for public education.

Parents for Public Schools-SF (PPS-SF) is?honored to welcome back Dr. Pedro Noguera, Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the Rossier School of Education.

About:?

Pedro Noguera is one of the nation’s leading scholars on issues related to race, inequality and education.?Prior to coming to USC to serve as the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the Rossier School of Education, he served as a Professor of Education and holder of endowed chairs at UCLA, NYU, Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of 15 books. His most recent book A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Tough Questions and Complex Issues Confronting K-12 Education in the United States Today with Rick Hess was the winner of the American Association of Publishers Prose Award in 2021). Noguera serves as a special advisor to the governor of New Mexico on education policy, and he advises the state departments of education in Washington, Oregon and Nevada.?In 2022 he was appointed to President Biden’s National Commission on Hispanics and to serve as the co-chair of the state of California’s Black Student Achievement Taskforce. In 2014 he was elected to the National Academy of Education and Phi Delta Kappa honor society, and in 2020 Noguera was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Noguera has received seven honorary doctorates from American universities and received awards from the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and from the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at NYU for his research and advocacy efforts aimed at fighting poverty.?In 2023 he was ranked 1st in the nation for influence and impact in the field of education by Education Week.???

We very excited about how we have pulled together a wide range of highly achieved leaders in their fields to both share their celebrations of partnering with Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco and their individual efforts to promote the vitality of public education for all children. There will be time to hear from doctors in education and doctors in medicine; from parents and children; from SFUSD leaders to the creative outlets of the Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco team.?