"It's not the bad schools per se, it's good schools that are up for closure," said Watson. "Why would an A-rated school be on the list to be closed in a county where we're struggling?"

“Schools are closing because kids cannot read,” she said. “If our students in the district were able to read on grade level, parents would not be running away from the district. Instead, they’d be running to it.”

Funds desperately needed to directly support our students and educators…

As Election Day approaches, Fort Worth Families Forward and Parent Shield Fort Worth have created a platform to engage with local candidates on the issues that matter most to them

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, a lifelong Fort Worth resident, is the leader of Parent Shield Fort Worth, which helps parents advocate for their children in Fort Worth ISD

“When we learned that interim Superintendent Molinar would be taking what we’ve learned and implementing it districtwide, we were beaming with pride,” Dorsey-Hollins said.

See Parent Shield on the list of organizations that are making an Impact!

While Dorsey-Hollins applauds Fort Worth ISD for recent transparency and a renewed focus, it doesn’t mean Parent Shield will take its foot off the gas, she said.

"I fear that soon we may end up actually having such a low attendance rate in our school because the majority of our schools are Hispanic Latinos," Tolliver said

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of education advocacy group Parent Shield Fort Worth, applauded interim superintendent Karen Molinar for bringing forward a concrete plan around student literacy within the strategic plan

Providing assessments to students and ensuring parents receive reports is key to driving progress, " said Trenace Dorsey-Hollins

"I’m eager to say that this plan in more than a few ways does mimic the work of Parent Shield and the consistent effort that we presented before you on countless times, providing assessments to students and putting the reports in the hands of parents," said parent Trenace Dorsey-Hollins.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, director of the education advocacy group Parent Shield Fort Worth, said she wants to see a plan that includes focused support around literacy for all students in the district. In particular, she wants to see efforts to improve reading scores among Black students

“But it’s because parents don’t know,” said Dorsey-Hollins, whose advocacy group helps parents navigate the education system. “It’s not going to change until we actually educate parents.”

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of Parent Shield Fort Worth, had monthly meetings with the previous superintendent and said Molinar contacted her to say those meetings would continue under her tenure

Parents are not often valued and seen by educators as the experts that they are. “These are our babies; these are your students. Remember that, and remember that we are experts when it comes to our children,” stated Trenace.

“But it’s because parents don’t know,” said Dorsey-Hollins, whose advocacy group helps parents navigate the education system. “It’s not going to change until we actually educate parents.”

“Just saying read to your kids at home, that’s not the answer,” Dorsey-Hollins said. “We have to dig a little bit deeper than just reading. We have to get some intervention in place. We have to do what works.”

At Parent Shield Fort Worth, we believe in equipping parents with the tools to advocate for their children and the community at large.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins of Parent Shield Fort Worth and Brent Beasley of the Fort Worth Education Partnership.