EDTalks: Teachers and Parents: An Unstoppable Team

In this EDTalk, Paula Cole discusses opportunities for educators and families to collaborate, advocate and ultimately hold school districts and legislators accountable for the wellbeing and academic success of young people. She argues that we need to change the narrative around parent engagement, particularly for lower-income and BIPOC families, and provide culturally relevant tools for all families to become powerful agents of change for education excellence. Paula Cole was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, a place she left to pursue her dream of a college education in the United States. After six years as an Educators for Excellence (E4E) member and teacher leader, Paula joined the Minnesota chapter as executive director. Prior to this role, she worked as an elementary teacher and academic coach in Minneapolis Public Schools. Paula believes that the voices of educators are rarely sought and often ignored by policymakers, and she loves her work at E4E because it allows her to ensure that teachers’ perspectives are included in education policies that directly impact children’s education outcomes. This EDTalk was live streamed from Icehouse in Minneapolis on May 8th, 2023. EDTalks is presented by AchieveTwinCities in partnership with Graves Ventures, a project of The Graves Foundation. For more information on EDTalks or to watch EDTalks videos or listen to audio podcasts, visit achievetwincities.org.