Transformational Resistance and Parent Leadership: Black Parents in a School District Decision-Making Process

This study examines the voices of parents that emerged during a citywide movement to influence a school district’s decisions on school closings. The work explores the experiences of parent leaders who reside in a working-class Black community in Chicago where four schools were impacted by the closures. In the context of Chicago, I characterize parents’ organizing efforts as a form of transformational resistance. By examining the activist efforts of parent leaders, the work documents how parents of color can shape key reforms and highlights both the potential and limitations of parent voice and community knowledge in local education reforms.