Family Leaders for Ohio Schools Academy

What is the Family Leaders for Ohio Schools Academy?

The Family Leaders for Ohio Schools Academy is a leadership program designed for parents and caregivers of children enrolled in K-12 Ohio public schools. Participants in this program connect with other parent leaders, build leadership skills, and learn how to work with local school leaders to address a need in their school community. This is a powerful opportunity to increase your knowledge of the education system, lead, and help shape positive change for all students.

All participants design a local school project and implement it by the end of the calendar year. The Academy provides support to graduates of the program as they implement their project and report how they have impacted families and school staff. This program was featured in an Ohio State News article in July 2026.

Keep scrolling to read about the innovative projects designed by our 2025 and 2026 participants, or click the button below to view more details about how to apply for the 2027 Academy.

Gain Skills and Build Connections

"I truly appreciated the opportunity to participate in the Family Leaders for Ohio Schools Academy program. It was valuable to learn how to review data, examine policies, and think about evidence-based family engagement and systems-level improvement strategies. I also appreciated the opportunity to connect with and learn from other parents and family leaders throughout the program."

Be Inspired

"One unexpected takeaway for me was not just the course content itself, but the opportunity to hear what each leader in the group was passionate about. I loved hearing their stories and imagining the lives their projects will impact."

Take Action

"I appreciated that we were able to take our interests and school needs and create a project purely from our own ideas."

Make an Impact

"This was a valuable experience for me, and I am so excited to see how my project, which is small in the grand scheme of things, makes an impact over time in family and community engagement, which will help to improve student outcomes."