For the last three years, RedefinED Atlanta has led the Atlanta Reimagining & Innovating for Schools Everywhere (A.R.I.S.E.) fellowship. Spanning nine months, the fellowship brings together Metro Atlanta community leaders across all sectors and professions. As part of their fellowships, participants are invited on a trip to experience how schools outside of our community are pioneering new educational and policy solutions to challenges similar to our own.
In 2024-25, fellows went to Indianapolis to see how another city has thrived with its charter and traditional district schools. In the spring, nine fellows visited the innovative Purdue Polytechnic High School, learned from education advocacy nonprofit RISE Indy, and got a first-hand look at education-specific legislation at the Indiana Statehouse.
“We are not alone in Atlanta; we are not an island when it comes to the inequities in education or our struggles,” said Davida Huntley, a fourth-generation Atlantan, a dedicated APS mom, and a 2024-25 fellow who went to Indianapolis. “We don’t need to be alone in trying to come together and fix these problems either.”
While fellows also spend a significant amount of time learning about public schools in Atlanta, local educational trends, and community opportunities, seeing what is possible in schools and legislatures outside our community is equally important in motivating and inspiring them to create positive change in Metro Atlanta.
“It really blew my mind, from the moment we walked in the door,” said Kayla Sledge, a special education teacher at The Kindezi Schools and a 2024-25 fellow. “I clearly remember the papier mache octopus that was on the wall [at Purdue Polytechnic]; it was made by the students. We got to see a purpose-driven high school that was really free-flowing and was genius-led, student-created. They really incorporated student voice. It was everything our school is trying to be and everything that education can be.”
“Exposure to new things opens your eyes to new possibilities,” concluded Saba Asfaw, a Cardiac Sonographer at Piedmont Healthcare and a 2024-25 fellow. “When you feel like you’ve hit a dead end, you can see other people who have been where you’ve been and how they are making small incremental changes to make big things happen. If you don’t want to be stuck in a rut, you don’t have to be.”
One of the initiatives that several fellows were inspired by was the Freedom Readers initiative, led by RISE Indy. Many school districts were concerned about falling literacy rates; however, many schools were also facing teacher shortages and a lack of funding. Freedom Readers helped fill these gaps by giving parents the same literacy training that teachers receive, so they could help their children at home. Parents could also earn a certificate, which would allow them to work in the schools.
“Looking at the paraprofessional training these parents were getting, it was the same information I was getting as a teacher,” said Sledge. “And they gave parents a lot of support so they could attend, including vouchers, child care, and dinner.”
“I was in tears because the students were so knowledgeable and proud of themselves,” added Huntley. “It is coming to Atlanta. The Indianapolis trip showed me it was possible.”
But the A.R.I.S.E. fellowship isn’t just about learning. Our fellows are creating real change in our communities. After returning from Indianapolis, several fellows put their learning into action by advocating for a state education bill at the Capitol. Their community-rooted perspectives helped secure key Democratic support, ultimately contributing to the bill’s bipartisan passage.
Fellows also put the learning they’ve done about our communities into action through their capstone projects, a vital piece in deciding who will be awarded the 2025 Parent Power A.R.I.S.E. Grant.
“We can talk until we’re blue in the face, but if we don’t put action behind it, it means nothing,” said Asfaw. “Our capstone projects helped us put all this knowledge into action and fund organizations in the community that make sure every child has access to an equitable, quality education.”
A.R.I.S.E. fellows may graduate each summer, but their learning, changemaking, and commitment to the Metro Atlanta community never ends. Fellows can return to participate on the 2025 Parent Power A.R.I.S.E. Grant panel of judges, and the skills and knowledge they’ve gathered throughout their fellowship will continue to be used to reshape what’s possible for Atlanta’s students and families.
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Stay tuned to learn about the organizations selected as 2025 Parent Power A.R.I.S.E. grantees for 2025-26!
Interested in becoming an A.R.I.S.E. fellow? Stay tuned here for our next application to open!