Memphis Lift Parent Institute

Public advocate fellowship provides 100 parents annually from all over the city with the education and tools they need to become active participants in the public conversation about education in Memphis. The course is 10 weeks long with a curriculum that becomes more compelling and comprehensive with each cohort.

Choice counseling helps build awareness in priority school communities that parents have educational options and provides parents with the resources and education they need to navigate the complex education system and make the best educational choice for their child. In addition to offering resources and education, choice counseling offers the much needed sounding board to many parents.

The surge team is the Memphis Lift's team of Parent organizers. The surge team devotes themselves to meeting and educating parents where they are-at their doors, at a school pick up line or at church-and builds that initial conversation into a relationship that can be leveraged to make the voice of parents even greater in the conversation about Memphis schools. From canvassing to hosting speaker series to rallying parents on quick turnarounds to make their presence known at the legislature in nashville, the surge team is constantly in the organizing business.

Special education - the Memphis Lift special education department (sped) team is here to help families when schools often don't meet the individual academic and behavioral needs of students even though they have a clearly defined individualized education plan (iep) or 504. Parents get frustrated and angry and have unproductive meetings with principals, teachers and support staff. We teach, support and guide parents to show them how to move from emotion to advocacy so your child can succeed. Sped helps any Parent who believes their child may need to be tested for services, has a child who already carries a document (iep or 504), and/or supports a child with special needs.