On The Same Team with Ari Gerzon-Kessler — How to Bring Educators & Underrepresented Families Together
For this episode, it was a pleasure to speak with Ari Gerzon-Kessler about the critical topic of authentic family engagement.
Ari leads the Family Partnerships department for the Boulder Valley School District (CO) and is an educational consultant working with schools and districts committed to forging stronger school-family partnerships.
He’s author of On The Same Team: Bringing Educators & Underrepresented Families Together, which was just named the Independent Publishers Book Award 2024 IPPY Gold Medal for the best education book
The conversation covers:
- Do educators and parents feel like we’re on the same team?
- Defining what we mean by “underrepresented families”
- The difference between “family involvement” and authentic partnerships
- 4 Pillars of Authentic Partnerships
- How to design Families and Educators Together Teams (FETs)
- The goals of FETs and the problems they prevent
- Capacity-building for educators
- Learn about Ari’s book and get free reproducibles here: https://www.solutiontree.com/on-the-same-team.html
- Access Ari''s free resources HERE.
- Learn more about bridging the gap between educators and families on Ari's webpage.
- Read Ari’s recent articles on Edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/article/parent-teacher-conference-tips
About today’s guest
Ari Gerzon-Kessler is author of On The Same Team: Bringing Educators & Underrepresented Families Together, which won the Independent Publishers Book Award 2024 IPPY Gold Medal for the best education book. He leads the Family Partnerships department for the Boulder Valley School District (CO) and is a speaker, trainer, and coach working with schools and districts committed to forging stronger school-family partnerships.
Ari has been an educator since 2000, having served as a principal and bilingual teacher. His leadership efforts to strengthen partnerships with underrepresented families and dismantle unjust practices was featured in Education Week in 2015. Ari regularly presents at national and international conferences on Families and Educators Together (FET) teams and other innovative family partnership best practices. He received his bachelor’s in African American Studies from Wesleyan University and a master’s in instruction and curriculum from the University of Colorado. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Ari has been an educator since 2000, having served as a principal and bilingual teacher. His leadership efforts to strengthen partnerships with underrepresented families and dismantle unjust practices was featured in Education Week in 2015. Ari regularly presents at national and international conferences on Families and Educators Together (FET) teams and other innovative family partnership best practices. He received his bachelor’s in African American Studies from Wesleyan University and a master’s in instruction and curriculum from the University of Colorado. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
About the host
Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossromano
I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt
Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:
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.
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.
Creators and Guests
Host
Ross Romano
Co-founder of Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies. Strategist, consultant, and performance coach.
Guest
Ari Gerzon-Kessler
Bridge Builder Between Schools and Families; Award-Winning Author, Speaker, Trainer & Coach
