Public education is one of the first places where democracy is either practiced or denied.
It is where many families first learn whether their voices matter, whether institutions can be trusted, and whether partnership can lead to meaningful change.
Voice to Power Lab exists because we believe the people closest to the challenges facing their families and communities carry essential knowledge about what needs to change. Too often, that knowledge is welcomed as a story or perspective—but not recognized as expertise.
We are working to change that.
We cultivate parent and community leaders, build collective power, and work alongside institutions to create the conditions for communities to have real influence and authority in the decisions that affect them.
FROM FAMILY ENGAGEMENT TO POWER
Voice to Power Lab began in 2017 as Supporting Parents in Education and Beyond (SPEB), rooted in the belief that families should have a meaningful voice in their children’s education.
Over time, our work—and what we learned alongside parent leaders—deepened that belief. We saw that meaningful engagement requires more than inviting families into spaces or asking for their input. Parents and community members already bring knowledge, skills, relationships, and solutions. What is often missing are the conditions for that expertise to be recognized, strengthened, connected to others, and translated into real influence.
In 2026, we became Voice to Power Lab to reflect that evolution.
Today, we cultivate parent and community leadership, organize around shared priorities, engage communities in participatory research, and help institutions build capacity to partner differently with communities and share power.