As a U.S. citizen who came to America in pursuit of a better life and who believes in the ideals of democracy and opportunity, I struggle to understand many of the current policies that seek to restrict voting rights, especially in my home of Texas. It seems that too many policies are meant to suppress voter rights and silence the voices of Black and brown communities. Such injustice adds urgency to the need to ensure that immigrants, communities of color and other disenfranchised groups can access their vote.

Schools have an important and unique role to play in this effort. The deep, trusting relationships schools form with parents can serve as the foundation for broader civic engagement. This can not only lead families and youth to become involved in elections, but can help shape the next generation of voting citizens by setting an example.

At Rocketship Public Schools, we view community transformation as a key pillar of having long-term impact beyond elementary school. We serve largely low-income communities of color who have traditionally been marginalized and silenced, both in schools and in civic engagement. Our community schools‘ connections with families set the stage for involvement in the nation’s democratic process. Fostering a school environment where families feel completely welcome builds a foundation of trust that empowers them to use their voices in their broader neighborhood, city and state communities.

We invest in personal relationships through annual home visits, monthly or weekly parent coffees, quarterly community meetings and an open culture that engages families as part of our school family. Even more so, Rocketship’s families are invited to lead by making decisions and taking collective action through Parent Organizing Committees and School Site Councils. Several Rocketship parents are full voting members on the network’s national board of directors.

But even with these efforts, only 18% of parents with children attending Rocketship are registered to vote. As a public school network, we believe it is our responsibility to not only teach our students about the bedrock of our democracy, but also engage their parents to ensure they are exercising their rights as citizens.

Read the full article about civic engagement in schools by Daiana Lambrecht at The 74.