This event was hosted at Icehouse in Minneapolis, MN on May 8, 2023. This video contains ONLY the Q&A segment of the program. EDTalks is co-presented by Achieve Twin Cities and Graves Ventures, a project of The Graves Foundation. EDTalks #1 - Teachers and Parents: An Unstoppable Team Speaker: Paula Cole, Executive Director, Educators for Excellence-Minnesota Paula Cole believes that our public-school systems are failing our children – and now is the time for teachers and parents to come together to eliminate educational and disciplinary inequities in our schools. Paula will discuss opportunities for educators and families to collaborate, advocate and ultimately hold school districts and legislators accountable for the wellbeing and academic success of young people. She argues that we need to change the narrative around parent engagement, particularly for lower-income and BIPOC families, and provide culturally relevant tools for all families to become powerful agents of change for education excellence. Paula Cole was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, a place she left to pursue her dream of a college education in the United States. After six years as an Educators for Excellence (E4E) member and teacher leader, Paula joined the Minnesota chapter as executive director. Prior to this role, she worked as an elementary teacher and academic coach in Minneapolis Public Schools. Paula believes that the voices of educators are rarely sought and often ignored by policymakers, and she loves her work at E4E because it allows her to ensure that teachers’ perspectives are included in education policies that directly impact children’s education outcomes. EDTalks #2 - The Power of Informed Parents Speaker: Natty Hels, Youth Programs Director, Centro Tyrone Guzman and Rosie Lais, Director of Community Resources, Great MN Schools Many parents struggle to access the information they need to determine how their children are performing in school. To address this gap, Great MN Schools has developed new grade-specific guides to help families better understand what their kids should be learning each year in English language arts and math. Rosie Lais and Natty B. Hels will share information on these new guides and what they have learned from beta testing with nine community organizations and over 250 Minneapolis families. Families who use the guides are better equipped to be learning advocates for their children and more likely to provide support at home, connect with teachers and seek additional learning opportunities. Rosie Lais is the director of community resources at Great MN Schools, where she blends her strategic and relationship-building skills to ensure that every family has the tools they need to navigate the K-12 system for their children. She began her education career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, where she served as national coordinator for the Leadership Development for Global Education program. An alumna of Minneapolis Public Schools, she earned her master’s degree in public administration from Princeton University. Natty B. Hels was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. Early in her career she worked as assistant director of an early learning center, where she witnessed the importance and value of high-quality education in supporting the health and well-being of children and youth. After immigrating to the U.S. in 2015, she began working at Centro Tyrone Guzman, where she currently serves as the youth programs director. She is proud to be part of an organization where she can work with her community and follow her passion for supporting children and youth.