With so much attention given across Fort Worth and Tarrant County to the reading and literacy crisis, the district’s subpar performance in math has become a quieter problem, said Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, founder and executive director of the education advocacy group Parent Shield Fort Worth.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of parental advocacy group Parent Shield, said she remains concerned about cuts to special education

"We need an update"

During public comment, Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, who is executive director of the nonprofit Parent Shield and has a daughter who attends Fort Worth ISD, said the number of teacher resignations makes her nervous for the upcoming school year.

This is our final board meeting before school starts, and I have to be honest, I'm a little nervous," Trenace Dorsey-Hollins said.

Parent Shield Fort Worth

Dorsey-Hollins said she understands the reason for high turnover, especially because the district has to make sure the best teachers and principals are working at struggling schools to ensure they’re equitably distributed

At that moment, something shifted. It was no longer just about my child. It became about every parent who has ever walked into a room, asked for help and been dismissed. I became a “power ambassador” with Parent Shield Fort Worth, helping other families navigate the system, because I needed to ensure no other parent experienced that kind of disrespect when advocating for their child’s education.

I am a mother of four children, two of whom attend Fort Worth ISD schools.

“If our kids are successful in being able to read, then that correlates to them being successful adults to read applications, to read contracts, to just being able to read pieces of material that will help them in everyday life,” Dorsey-Hollins told the Star-Telegram.

Dorsey-hollins, who has expressed optim­ism that the takeover could provide the reset the dis­trict needs, told Licata and the board that par­ents need inform­a­tion about how stu­dents are pro­gress­ing under the takeover. Par­ents plan to

hold the dis­trict’s new lead­ers to their prom­ises of trans­par­ency, she said.

As a parent of a first-grader who is nonverbal and receives various therapies at school and at home, Dorsey-Hollins is able to bridge the gap by asking for notes from clinicians on what was accomplished during sessions, so Dorsey-Hollins can build on it further at home. Dorsey-Hollins acknowledges she is more engaged than the average parent because of the nature of her work, and other parents might not know how to bridge those gaps.

Fort Worth ISD’s stubbornly low academic performance is not a new phenomenon, said Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of parental advocacy group Parent Shield

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of Parent Shield Fort Worth

Molinar has been a friend to Fort Worth ISD parents and to Parent Shield Fort Worth, the family-empowerment organization that I lead.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, leader of the education advocacy group Parent Shield Fort Worth, said she was shocked by the news that Molinar would be

"We are wanting TEA to come in and just hear us out as well… so that's what we're expecting from them," said parent Stephany Velez.

The TEA is still selecting a new board of managers to oversee the district.

“I teach kids in my youth ministry, and a lot of them can’t read or write,” Williams said. “We got to get on our grind.”
“They need to be able to connect with our children’s needs,” Haynes said.

“It’s about what’s actually working for kids,” Dorsey-Hollins said. “Clearly, some of what Dr. Molinar is doing is working.”

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, founder and executive director of the organization, sees her goal as educating and uniting parents in three of the city's ...

“In an economy where families are already struggling to pay rent, to pay bills and just provide, you want parents to absorb thousands of additional dollars for education. And for many families, that is not choice, that’s a gamble and a burden in some situations,” Dorsey-Hollins said.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, director of the education advocacy group Parent Shield Fort Worth, said she’s excited to see the district rolling out the new grading model. Fort Worth ISD’s shift to the new grading system came after Parent Shield’s advocacy for greater transparency around the district’s academic performance.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of the Fort Worth-based Parent Shield nonprofit, speaks about literacy during the 2025 Texas Tribune Festival on Nov. 15 in Austin.

“Let the commissioner appoint, but let the people remove,” she said. “We need some type of power.”

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, director of the education advocacy group Parent Shield, said she hopes to see Morath keep Molinar in place.

Fort Worth ISD parent Trenace Dorsey-Hollins recalls that her daughter's first-grade report card made it appear that she had regressed academically

The event is presented by the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, Fort Worth Report, The Reading League, Literacy United and Parent Shield Fort Worth.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, founder of parent activist group Parent Shield Fort Worth, said some of the credit for the improvements belongs to Molinar, the superintendent, who started her role in an interim capacity late last year and was officially appointed in February.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, founder of parent activist group Parent Shield Fort Worth, said some of the credit for the improvements belongs to Molinar, the superintendent, who started her role in an interim capacity late last year and was officially appointed in February.

"Hopeful that this could be a positive change and a shakeup that our district actually needs," said Dorsey-Hollins.