A publication of the Association of California School Administrators

‘Meet us where we are’

Community-engaged leadership through the lens of Black parents

By Rachelle McClendon-Alexander | November | December 2025

The murder of George Floyd was not only a national reckoning but a personal call to action. As a Black woman, a school leader, and now a doctoral student, the questions of equity and community engagement are no longer theoretical. They are urgent, immediate, and deeply personal. While at Washington Prep High School and Harte Prep Middle School School, Los Angeles Unified schools that intentionally focus on Black parent engagement, I found myself at the convergence of activism, policy implementation, and community repair. This reflection tells the story of how I have worked with Black parents, staff, and community members to elevate the voices of Black parents, while navigating the political system, to support Black student genius.

Setting the stage: Black parent engagement and LAUSD The urge for Los Angeles Unified to strategically focus on Black student genius with a focus on Black parent engagement was born in 2021 as a direct response to systemic racism and community advocacy after George Floyd’s murder. As described by one of the key initial architects of this work, the plan was initially financed by redirected funds from defunding school police and intense grassroots pressure from organizations. The intentionality to prioritize Black student genius in LAUSD provides identified schools with high populations of Black students who are not performing at standard with dedicated funding. The funding is directly connected to personnel such as school culture and climate staff, academic support, and community engagement resources focused exclusively on Black students.

Through the Political Frame of Bolman and Deal (2021), this strategic focus of Black student achievement represents a shift in power. It is an acknowledgment by LAUSD that community coalitions and public outrage could influence educational policy. However, symbolic and structural changes are not always synchronized. Implementing the plan for change at the school level requires emotionally intelligent, culturally competent and willing leadership.

Telling the story: Community as co-researchers In February 2025, I hosted a community meeting focused on chronic absenteeism among Black students. This persistent equity issue was identified through the strategic plan of LAUSD, local school data, and the California School Dashboard. The meeting centered on the principle of “community as co-researchers” (Khalifa, 2018), ensuring Black parents and students were not passive data points but active participants in co-creating solutions. We used the Seven Norms of Collaboration (Thinking Collaborative, 2016) to guide the discussions, and our “How is Your Heart?” check-in set the tone for relational trust. Small group discussions were aligned to Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, focusing on school culture, family engagement, and case management for chronic absenteeism. As one parent poignantly said, “Meet us where we are, not where you think we should be.” This statement now serves as a cornerstone of my community leadership philosophy. The cultural climate of the meeting was complemented with music, food, and laughter, an important part of the agenda. It modeled the kind of emotionally safe and culturally responsive environment we seek to build for students. That day, trust was not earned through PowerPoint slides or metrics, but through shared vulnerability and acknowledgment of past harms.

The plot thickens: Challenges and promising practices Establishing community through family engagement meant we sought to view data not just as numbers, but as stories. Surveys administered asked parents how often they are on campus, how welcomed they feel, and whether they participate in decision-making. Historically, families have expressed that data like this was not always used meaningfully. At the site of inquiry, we turned that on its head, discussing survey results publicly and using them to inform and shape the school site plan, the professional development plan and the parent workshop series.

Balancing systemic mandates with community realities is one of the most difficult leadership challenges. The literature on Black parent engagement underscores the mistrust formed from years of marginalization (Howard, 2020). My qualitative research interview of a Black school leader reinforced this truth that many parents are traumatized by school systems and need healing-centered engagement. Instead of traditional parent volunteer roles, we organized events like a father/son “Tie Tying Day,” which invited Black men into the school space in affirming ways. Our “Muffins with Moms” and “Doughnuts with Dads” were held on the sidewalk in front of the school, as parents dropped off their children for school. Our parent center now includes clothing drives and giveaways, a hygiene resources fair, and pop-up workshops throughout the day to allow for parents to select their workshop topic and time of choice. Promising parent engagement practices must address life realities, not just school events. Our parents need us to meet them where they are and not where we think they should be.

Theoretical anchors: Reframing leadership for equity Two frameworks that have profoundly shaped my understanding and practice of community-engaged leadership are Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) and Epstein’s (2001) Parent Involvement Framework. Together, they have helped me reimagine family and community engagement, not as deficit-based support, but as a collaborative process centered in honoring the cultural knowledge, resilience, and agency of Black parents. Yosso’s framework challenges traditional notions of capital that often define educational success through white, middle-class norms. Instead, it affirms that communities of color possess multiple forms of capital that contribute to their children’s success. For example, the resistant capital of our Black parents was evident when they openly voiced frustrations about systemic barriers like absenteeism, punitive discipline, or feeling ignored by the school system. Their critiques were not complaints, but courageous acts of advocacy. Similarly, their aspirational capital was undeniable, despite trauma and neglect, Black parents continue to believe in their children’s potential. When a parent said, “Meet us where we are, not where you think we should be,” she was expressing the tension between school assumptions and lived experiences. This was an invitation to honor her knowledge, not replace it. In tandem, Epstein’s framework offers a practical roadmap for integrating parents into school life in meaningful ways. Her six types of involvement (1. Parenting, 2. Communicating, 3. Volunteering, 4. Learning at Home, 5. Decision Making, and 6. Collaborating with the Community) serve as guideposts.

During the community meeting, the redefinition of “volunteering” was expressed. Rather than requiring time-consuming on-campus tasks, we recognized cultural events (e.g., “Tie Tying Day” for Black male mentors) and home-based support (like supervising homework) as equally valuable forms of engagement. These adaptations are examples of how Epstein’s model can evolve in culturally responsive ways when paired with Yosso’s CCW. Together, Yosso and Epstein offer both a philosophical and practical foundation for school leadership. Yosso affirms the cultural and social assets already present in Black communities, while Epstein offers the structure to reimagine engagement pathways that reflect those assets. The district’s strategic plan and intentional focus on Black student genius and Black parent engagement, gave us a platform, but these frameworks help us shape it into something transformational.

That day, trust was not earned through PowerPoint slides or metrics, but through shared vulnerability and acknowledgment of past harms

The epilogue: Giving power to the community of family Community engagement is more than events; it is a shared act. That means redistributing leadership so that Black parents, students, and community members are not seen as recipients but co-educators of the learning. The pioneer architects of the district’s focus on Black genius at school sites noted one of the biggest regrets was not widening the circle to include more grassroots input with parents. This model is grounded in Matthews’ (2020) concept of “community-engaged leadership,” which calls for authentic power-sharing, not just consultation.

The plan to address Black student achievement and genius in LAUSD is not perfect. As recent critiques express, some believe the plan focuses too heavily on social-emotional support at the expense of academic rigor. While gains have been made (Black students in LAUSD utpaced the state in ELA and math growth), the work is fragile and vulnerable to political shifts. What is not fragile, however, is the power of community. What is not temporary is the wisdom of Black parents. Our role is not to “fix” them, but to co-create conditions where they can lead alongside us as co-educators. As educators we must be willing to question our own biases, challenge organizational norms, and most of all, listen. The future of equity in our urban communities lies not in new programs but in new paradigm shifts of leadership. The bridge between theory and practice is built on relationships. That is where real change lives. As one mother reminded me, change begins when you “meet us where we are.”

References Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (7th ed.). Jossey-Bass. California Department of Education. (2024). California School Dashboard. https://www.caschooldashboard.org/

Epstein, J. L., & Associates. (2001). School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Westview Press.

Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press.

Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin Press.

Howard, T. C. (2020). Why race and culture matter in schools: Closing the achievement gap in America's classrooms (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.

Khalifa, M. A. (2018). Culturally responsive school leadership. Harvard Education Press. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.55-5069

Thinking Collaborative. (2016). Seven norms of collaborative work. https://www.thinkingcollaborative.com/seven-norms

Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/1361332052000341006

Rachelle McClendon-Alexander is the instructional coordinator for the Black Student Achievement Plan and the Educational Transformation Office in Los Angeles Unified School District.