Youth, Parent and community participation in public schools

Students, parents and communities have a fundamental right to participate in the running of public schools.  Human rights standards recognize that student, parent and community participation is essential for holding school systems accountable when they fail to guarantee the right to education. 

NESRI works with partners around the country to advocate for students' and parents’ rights to meaningfully impact decision-making in public schools, and to provide workshops for parents and youth on how human rights standards can be used in organizing.

• Dignity in Schools Campaign Youth and Parent Resources
  NESRI compiles resources for parents and youth on their human right to participate in school decision-making for the Dignity in Schools Campaign website, including Know Your Rights materials by state, action kits, research, links and information on parent and youth led campaigns around the country. 

• Testimony to New York City Council on the Right to Participation In May 2006, NESRI and the Urban Justice Center presented testimony to the New York City Council Education Committee about the right to participation in NYC schools. Gotham Gazette Article on Participation Hearing

• Civil Society and School Accountability: A Human Rights Approach to Parent and Community Participation in NYC Schools Report published by the Center for Economic and Social Rights and the New York University Institute for Education and Social Policy in June 2003.

The human right of students, parents and communities to participate in education is recognized in human rights treaties and global agreements on the right to education, including:

• Dakar Framework on Education for All, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization The Dakar Framework for Action was adopted by 155 countries at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal in April, 2000.  It represents a commitment by governments to a shared vision for how education systems should be run, and recognizes the right of parents, communities, students and teachers to participate in decision-making in schools.

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
  Article 26, Right to Participate in Government
  The United States has signed and ratified this covenant which recognizes the right of all people to participate in government decisions that affect their fundamental human rights, including the right to education.

• Convention on the Rights of Child, General Comment 1
  General Comment 1 on Article 29, The aims of education
  The Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by over 190 countries around the world, recognizes the right of students to participate in school policies, including disciplinary policies.