How She Does It

Educational advocate, Dr. Nancy Huante is passionate about empowering students and families!

Dr. Huante is an educational advocate. She began her studies at California State University, Sacramento where she received her BA in Ethnic Studies. Then she attended California State University, San Diego to earn her Master’s in Chicana and Chicano Studies. After that, in 2016, she earned her doctorate in Education from the University of Utah.

She now is a College Professor in the Ethnic Studies department at California State University, Sacramento. They are certainly lucky to have her wealth of knowledge and experience!

South Stockton School Initiative

I first met Dr. Nancy Huante at our Education Committee meetings with the Reinvent South Stockton Coalition. She Co-Lead many discussions about our concerns over the education in our district. Our group of parents, students, educators, and community members learned to advocate for a 10% increase in A-G graduation rates for our school district. Not only was this community effort a wonderful learning opportunity but our request became a specified Local Control Accountability Plan goal! Not to mention it was a great feeling to be a part of the process from beginning to end.

As the Director of the South Stockton School Initiative’s Parent Ambassador Program and Parent Council, she coordinates monthly workshops for parents in English and Spanish. Equally important, she welcomes the whole family to join the series of workshops. Together with the community, the workshops will help one understand how policies affect our students and ways we can advocate for change.

This series is great for parents who are new to getting involved in the educational system. The workshops will take you step by step understanding our student data and outcomes, the Local Control Accountability Plan and funding, and how state and federal policies affect our students. You’ll walk away with a foundation of knowledge to begin advocating for our youth!

3 Ways To Find Balance As An Educational Advocate

Dr. Huante often brings her young daughter to meetings. I really appreciate how Nancy is a good example of balancing family and community involvement. How does she find this balance?

• A supportive network and kid-friendly spaces are important! Mothers may want to participate in activities but often the biggest hurdle is child care.  Who is able to watch the kids while we’re gone or can we bring the kids with us? Our parent meetings commonly provide a space for children.

• Another important step is talking with her daughter about where they are going and what is going to happen when they get there. This way her daughter can understand how to behave at meetings. This is a life lesson we can all use! In order to expect our youth to carry on civic responsibilities and attend meetings, they have to learn how. Learning by example is ideal.

• Nancy also brings along a backpack with activities to keep her daughter busy as well as the phone with YouTube as a last resort. Preparation is another important key!

Do you attend meetings that discuss our children’s education? Do you attend with your children or on your own? I’d like to hear how you do it. Share in the comments!

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