As a parent and education advocate for the past 13 years, I have been honored to meet many amazing parents, education thought leaders and policymakers as I’ve traveled the country. It is a privilege to attend conferences that boast informed discussions and energize participants into action. But, as beneficial as such policy conferences can be, recently, I have been struck by the lack of parental and public involvement in critical discussions that directly affect our children’s education.

We are largely left out of the decision-making process or seen only as cheerleaders and rubber stamps to the policies created by bureaucrats. That’s one reason why education policies are lagging behind what voters really want to see. According to a national poll conducted by PublicSchoolOptions.org (PSO), this disconnect exists in three main areas: testing, school evaluation and school closure.

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