"I definitely don't want parents to completely just trust these results and take them at hand," said Dorsey-Hollins. "We want them to ask the tough questions. How is my child specifically doing? Are they on grade level? Because approaching and meeting grade level are two different things."

In 2019, Carpenter's organization collaborated with other Black educators and activists to form FCCS to advocate for Black children and parental choice, including: Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, Executive Director of Parent Shield Fort Worth.

Dorsey-Hollins, a mother of two, has been advocating for change in Fort Worth ISD for the past two years. She says even worse, many parents aren't even aware of how poorly their children are being educated.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, director of the education advocacy group Parent Shield Fort Worth and one of the co-signers of Mayor Parker’s letter, said she hoped the letter and Parker’s visit would help board members and district leaders recognize that students are in crisis.

But Dorsey-Hollins, who is also the executive director of Parent Shield Fort Worth, said she had to do extensive research before meeting with district officials to understand the enrollment process and know what accommodations were available, such as her daughter’s communication device.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of the advocacy group Parent Shield Fort Worth, said she was glad the board rejected the proposal. Parents weren’t given enough opportunity to provide feedback on the plan before it came before the board, she said. Dorsey-Hollins attended several community meetings where district leaders discussed ideas for the plan, and while a few parents attended, most of the attendees were district staff, she said.

Today, I continue to advocate for my children and all children in FWISD through my organization Parent Shield Fort Worth.

“The approach really worked not only for closing those gaps, but also really building the relationships with and between a lot of the students,” Dorsey-Hollins said. “Interventionists were able to build real relationships with their parents. Parents were more open to feedback.”

School districts “need to be more transparent,” said Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, founder of Parent Shield Fort Worth, which aims to give parents information and tools to demand better of their children’s schools. “We all know report cards are not giving the full picture of where schools stand.”

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“Hopefully, kids will be selecting the right book because there’s not going to be anybody there to guide them,” said Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, who leads Parent Shield Fort Worth, an advocacy group. She doesn’t have a problem with the district closing schools, but understands why some community members pushed back. “Schools are like landmarks where parents and grandparents and older children have gone.”

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of Parent Shield Fort Worth, said she was excited to learn about the news, especially when taking into account that the majority of students in the district are economically disadvantaged.

“That’s a huge, huge, huge, huge win, especially for parents being able to get transparent information, which is what we’ve been pushing Fort Worth ISD for,” said Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, the group’s executive director. Dorsey-Hollins added that it’s also more user-friendly and easier to navigate for families, calling the district’s previous version “unacceptable.”

Parent Shield Fort Worth has advocated for an update to the Fort Worth school district's parent portal over the past year.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director and founder of Parent Shield Fort Worth, said the change will put many parents in a tough spot, and she hopes other resources will be available for them to obtain supplies.

Parent Shield, a parental advocacy and empowerment group, wants to equip mothers and fathers with the resources they need to make informed decisions about their children. Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, Parent Shield’s executive director, called Go Beyond Grades a perfect match with her group’s mission.

Like the Wedgwood closure, parents and students weren’t notified until days before the announcement, Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of Parent Shield Fort Worth, told trustees during the March 26 meeting.

“The information that is provided there doesn’t make any sense at all,” Dorsey-Hollins, founder of Parent Shield Fort Worth, said. “As parents, we were like ‘What does this mean?’”

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins is a parent and founder of Parent Shield Fort Worth, a parent movement committed to uniting and educating powerful parents to demand a high-quality education for all children. You can follow her at @TrenaceDorsey.

“The information that is provided there doesn’t make any sense at all,” Dorsey-Hollins, founder of Parent Shield Fort Worth, said. “As parents, we were like ‘What does this mean?’”

Undeterred, Dorsey-Hollins launched Parent Shield in 2022. The group educates Fort Worth parents about how to advocate for a high-quality education for their children.