Parent Advocacy Toolkit

This guide helps parents and caregivers who want to make a difference. Your voice matters whether you’re focused on your own child, your school, or the whole district. Use these ideas to take action that supports student success in San Francisco.

You are your child’s most important advocate. Here’s how to make sure they get what they need:

Stay Informed

• Know what your child should be learning in reading and math at their grade level
• Check out our Literacy Guide 
• Ask for Star Reading/Math Reports, report cards, and classroom assessment results
• Ask good questions. Find more information about Parent Teacher Conferences.

Build a Relationship with Teachers

• Ask for regular updates on how your child is doing
• Find out how you can support learning at home
• Come to parent-teacher conferences with specific questions
• Volunteer in your classroom if you can

Getting involved at your school site helps ensure your child—and all students—have the resources and support they need. Here’s how to take action:

Join your School Site Council (SSC) Learn how your school’s budget is decided and how you can shape it.

Speak up about how your school determines and spends its budget Parents can and should have a voice in how dollars are allocated to support student achievement.

Join your school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA/PTO) (Note: Not every school has one.) These groups are often active in shaping school priorities and organizing family engagement.

Connect with Other Families

• Find out how your school community shares information
• Start a group text, email list, or WhatsApp thread to stay connected
• Meet other parents at drop-off, pickup, or school events

Become a School Lead with SF Parent Coalition Serve as a link between SF Parents and your school:

• Share updates and upcoming actions with your school community
• Help bring more families into the conversation
• Get support from SF Parents to boost your advocacy skills. Sign up to be a School Lead 

When parents work together, we can push for bigger changes. Here’s how to help hold SFUSD accountable:

Join A Campaign Team

• Work with other parents on issues that matter to you and your kids

Join a District Commission

• Parent Advisory Council
• African American Parent Advisory Council
• District English Learners Advisory Committee
• Community Advisory Council Special Education
• and more…

Understand what the Board of Education Does Your vote matters! Who do you want making decisions about our schools? Tell your friends that if they care about San Francisco’s future, they should pay attention to School Board elections.

• Parent Leader Guide on School Board Elections from Ed100
• Politics of Public Schools: A Primer (Coming soon!)
• Parents Guide to School Board Advocacy in CA
• School Boards and the Brown Act

Contact District Leaders

• Email Board of Education members
• Write or call city/state leaders