What if the strongest lever for school improvement isn't a new program, but how your team approaches family relationships from day one?

Strong family partnerships are one of the most underused levers schools have for driving better outcomes — and it starts with how leaders set their teams up from day one.

Join Ari Gerzon-Kessler, author of On the Same Team and Family Partnerships lead for Boulder Valley School District, alongside TalkingPoints' Senior Content and Learning Manager, Amanda Ensor, for a relationship-first approach to family partnership built for school and district leaders.

You’ll leave with:

• A shared framework and field-tested strategies you and your staff can put to use right away
• A clear starting point for building relationship-first partnership across your school or district
• Real stories from schools that have used high-impact partnership strategies to deepen trust, increase engagement, and transform their communities
• Proven pathways to two-way communication to foster richer dialogue and build trust with families
• Ways to prioritize this work district-wide, without adding to anyone's plate

Ari Gerzon-Kessler is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and coach who partners with schools and districts to strengthen school-family partnerships. He is the author of On the Same Team: Bringing Educators & Underrepresented Families Together, winner of the 2024 Gold Medal for Best Education Book, and leads the Family Partnerships department for Boulder Valley School District, Colorado. A former principal and bilingual teacher, Ari is known for engaging keynotes and practical strategies for building more inclusive, connected school communities.

Amanda Ensor is Senior Content & Learning Manager at TalkingPoints. A former elementary teacher and 2013 Queen Anne’s County Teacher of the Year, she has 20+ years in public education. She previously served as a Family & Community Engagement Specialist with Scholastic and as Title I Family Engagement Specialist for Queen Anne’s County. Amanda is a nationally recognized presenter who holds degrees in Human Development and Learning and Elementary Reading and Literacy, plus an administrator certification. At the core of her work is a clear mission: to help schools and districts cultivate effective, equitable partnerships between home and school, ensuring every student receives the support they need to thrive.