**Left to right: Kate Bartlein** – National Center for Learning Disabilities, **Selene Lozada** – Parent Leadership Team of Nevada, **Maribel Gardea & Delia Ruiz** – MindShiftED Parent Institute & **Maria Ibarra** – Nuestro Viaje con Autismo

At MindShiftED Parent Institute, we believe that every family deserves to feel welcomed, valued, and engaged in their child’s education. But across the country, many schools still struggle to create inclusive and culturally responsive parent partnerships—especially for families of students with disabilities and neurodivergent learners.

That’s why we were honored to be part of the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) Community of Action in December—a powerful convening that brings together educators, advocates, and thought leaders to tackle pressing challenges in education.

What is the EALA Community of Action?

Twice a year, EALA gathers an uncommon group of professionals from across the country to solve shared challenges affecting students with disabilities and learning differences. Over the course of just 36 hours, participants engage in deep collaboration, brainstorming innovative solutions that support equitable education for all students.

The convening concludes with a participatory grantmaking process, where attendees vote on the most promising solutions to receive funding for implementation.

For more on EALA, visit: Educating All Learners Alliance

Who Was Involved?

The event brought together leaders, educators, researchers, and advocates from across the country, each committed to advancing equity and accessibility in education. MindShiftED was privileged to be among this diverse and passionate community, collaborating with incredible advocates and organizations, including:

Maribel Gardea & Delia Ruiz – (MindShiftED Parent Institute)
Kate Bartlein – (National Center for Learning Disabilities)
Maria Ibarra – (Nuestro Viaje Con Autismo)
Selene Lozada – (Parent Leadership Team of Nevada)

Together, we formed a collaborative team called Transforming Engagement Alliance (TEA)—united in our commitment to enhancing family-school engagement through culturally responsive, multilingual, and inclusive approaches.

What Did We Do?

During the convening, our TEA team pitched an idea to transform parent engagement. We propose to build a rubric and playbook designed to help schools engage families in more inclusive and effective ways. The rubric will be focused on culturally responsive practices, multilingual access, and intentional practices that develop family-school partnerships, recognizing that effective communication is the foundation of student success.

Our proposal resonated deeply with the community, and after the participatory selection process, we were awarded a grant to bring this project to life!

Why Does This Matter?

In today’s educational landscape, families of students with disabilities and learning differences often face significant barriers to engagement—whether due to language access, cultural disconnects, or systemic inequities. With growing concerns about the future of educational equity under changing political landscapes, this work has never been more urgent.

By developing a data-driven rubric and playbook, we hope to provide schools with concrete steps to improve their communication and engagement with all families. Our goal is to ensure that parents, especially those from historically marginalized communities feel empowered, heard, and included in decision-making processes.

What’s Next?

A Nationwide Survey to Find Schools That Get It Right

To make this rubric as impactful as possible, we are launching a national survey to identify schools that are already excelling in parent engagement. We want to hear directly from parents and caregivers about what works, what doesn’t, and how schools can improve.

The survey takes just 3 minutes and is open to all parents and caregivers who want to share their experiences. From this data, we will conduct one-on-one conversations with families and highlight outstanding school districts that can serve as models for others.

👉 Want to help? We invite our partners, allies, and community members to share the survey in their newsletters and social media to reach as many families as possible. Together, we can elevate family voices and ensure that all students have access to welcoming and inclusive schools.

Join Us in This Work!

We are incredibly grateful to EALA, our fellow advocates, and the entire Community of Action for this opportunity. This is just the beginning of a powerful movement to redefine family-school partnerships and create more inclusive educational experiences for all students.

📢 Stay tuned for updates as we develop our rubric, connect with schools, and continue our mission of empowering parents as partners in education!

#EducationForAll #ParentEngagement #EALACommunityOfAction #MindShiftED #TransformingEngagementAlliance #NCLD #PLT #AUTISMO #parentswithsolutions