Supporting underrepresented families with “Families and Educators Together” Teams (with Ari Gerzon-Kessler)

Helping families feel involved in their child’s school experience is a challenge; and underrepresented populations may often feel like their voices aren’t being heard.While it can help if school staff buy in to the idea of family engagement, it’s difficult for schools to make it happen without the right systems in place. That’s why I invited Ari Gerzon-Kessler to episode 200 of De Facto Leaders to talk about the “Families and Educators Together”, or FET team framework he’s developed. Ari Gerzon-Kessler is a sought after speaker and professional learning provider. He is the author of “On The Same Team: Bringing Educators & Underrepresented Families Together,” which won the Gold Medal from the Independent Publishers Book Awards for outstanding education book of 2024. Ari is a speaker, trainer, and coach working with schools and districts committed to forging stronger school-family partnerships. He also leads the Family Partnerships department for the Boulder Valley School District (CO).Ari has been an educator since 2000, having served as a principal and bilingual teacher. In 2006, Ari was a recipient of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund. As principal, his school received the Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award in 2013. His leadership efforts to strengthen partnerships with underrepresented families and dismantle unjust practices was featured in Education Week in 2015.In this conversation, we discuss:✅How to get and keep families engaged in the “Families and Educators Together” (FET) Team✅What’s the difference between the PTO and the FET team, and how can these two teams work together.✅“Event-based” planning versus “Engagement-based” planning?✅Using a combination of technology and in-person events to increase equity and help families feel more included in their children’s school experience.✅How to set up systems that enable educators to have regular positive communication with families. In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadershipLearn more about Ari’s workshops, articles, and resources here: https://tinyurl.com/4yaszyknYou can connect with Ari on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/arigerzon-kesslerConnect with him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ari.gerzonkessler/Get his book  “On The Same Team: Bringing Educators & Underrepresented Families Together,” here: https://www.solutiontree.com/on-the-same-team.htmlEmail him at [email protected]. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL and Renaissance:Learn more about Renaissance:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.