Three words came to mind when Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of Parent Shield, learned Fort Worth ISD’s math may be incorrect: “I knew it.”

Dorsey-Hollins highlighted the silence she heard from the school board after Mayor Mattie Parker’s letter and speech voicing the disappointmentshe and more than 40 city leaders share about the state of education in Fort Worth ISD.

Parent Shield Fort Worth held a press conference outside of Fort Worth ISD’s administration building before Tuesday’s meeting, slamming the superintendent and the school board for the district’s student achievement outcomes.

Members of Parent Shield Fort Worth, an education advocacy group, held a press conference outside the district’s administration building before the meeting to outline the group’s own list of demands, including significant academic improvement, specifically for Black students who’ve seen declining test scores

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, executive director of Parent Shield, noted that Mayor Parker’s comments came after many community members and organizations went to the City Council to garner support to make changes in the school district. When asked about Ramsey’s performance, Dorsey-Hollins said he was not satisfied.

Watch Parent Shield Fort Worth Founder, Trenace Dorsey-Hollins deliver power message to FWISD board members at Tuesdays special board meeting.

Watch Trenace Dorsey-Hollins' press conference at FWISD's special board meeting here!

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins is a mother of two daughters who were in the district. Now, her ninth grader is elsewhere.

Watch Trenace Dorsey-Hollins' press conference here!

"One of my daughters I had to move out of the district just because they weren’t meeting the needs of her," she said. "We’re just ready for the district to really put some focus on our kids."

"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.”

Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/editorials/article289447848.html#storylink=cpy

“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.”