Advocating for Students and Families

IRRE Supports

In our 14 years, we have learned important lessons about how to structure our Family and Student Advocacy System to support the overall goals of school reform. IRRE collaborates with school personnel to work out the staffing and scheduling issues involved in matching students with advocates and in securing the time and space necessary for an effective program. Simultaneously, the IRRE team works with information technology staff to make sure advocates, students, and families can access timely, credible, and useful data on student progress toward graduation and college readiness. Early professional development for advocates focuses on clarifying expectations, the role’s potential, and its limitations. Partner districts and schools identify leaders for the advocacy effort, often personnel already working on parent liaison activities, counseling, and student support services. These leaders, along with school administrators, receive additional training prior to the launch of advocacy activities and on an ongoing basis.

Once the advocacy work begins, IRRE teams of experienced and expert staff monitor implementation benchmarks and work with our partners to enrich advocates’ portfolios of skills and to shore up areas that need work.