AASA’s Authentic Family Engagement Spring Summit Kicks Off in Chicago

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
 
Contact:  
James Minichello  
703-774-6953  
jminichello@aasa.org 

School District Leaders Explore Ways to Create Impactful School-Family Partnerships

Alexandria, Va. – April 23, 2024 – Superintendents and other school district administrators exploring effective ways to engage parents and other family members to improve outcomes for the students they serve are convening in Chicago, Ill., April 25-27, as part of the second annual Authentic Family Engagement Summit, hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

Participants will explore current topics and cutting-edge ideas around best practices on this critical issue. They will also discuss the blueprint for creating powerful planning guides to help advance their districts’ family engagement strategies.

“Research shows strong family engagement is a key lever in measuring student outcomes. Now more important than ever, creating partnerships between school districts, parents and caregivers is vital if our students are going to succeed.”

“Effective authentic family engagement is considerably more than attending back-to-school night and Friday night football games,” said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. “Research shows strong family engagement is a key lever in measuring student outcomes. Now more important than ever, creating partnerships between school districts, parents and caregivers is vital if our students are going to succeed. We are grateful to Niles Township High School District 219 for serving as host site for our summit.”

Throughout the summit, attendees will:

• Define the current landscape around family engagement and what opportunities exist for school system involvement.
• Determine the similarities and differences of family engagement in primary versus secondary grades.
• Discuss key activities schools can host with parents/families to increase authentic engagement.
• Network with other district and school leaders who are prioritizing family engagement.
• Create strong connections for future growth.

“Building trust throughout every learning community in America while ensuring the safety and security for our students begins with top-notch family engagement. It’s the heartbeat of our schools,” said Roszena Haskins, deputy superintendent, Niles Township High School District 219, Ill. “We are proud and honored to bring public education’s standard bearers of family engagement to our community to create innovative solutions to scale up positive activities that will address this issue.”

“Building trust throughout every learning community in America while ensuring the safety and security for our students begins with top-notch family engagement. It’s the heartbeat of our schools.”

Guest speakers will include:

• Denise Diaz, director, family engagement, & Brad Keating, executive director and engagement officer, Clark County School District (Nev.)
• Rachel Lloyd-Fowler, principal, At Risk director, Jefferson Learning Center, Molen School District #40 (Ill.)  
• Joan Hallagan, co-founder & Will Schejbal, owner, Will’s Place (Ill.)
• Roszena Haskins, deputy superintendent, Niles Township High School District 219 (Ill.)
• Reyna Hernandez, senior director of research and policy, National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement
• Ryan Hurley, midwest deputy director, Coalition for Community Schools, Institute for Educational Leadership, (Washington, D.C.)
• Rachel Lloyd-Fowler, principal, At Risk director, Jefferson Learning Center, Molen School District #40 (Ill.)

View the photo gallery and video from AASA’s 2023 Authentic Family Engagement Summit, held at NOLA Public Schools in New Orleans.

School system leaders can also contact Mort Sherman, senior associate executive director, AASA Leadership Network, at msherman@aasa.org, or Debbie Magee, director, AASA Leadership Network, at dmagee@aasa.org, for more information.

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About AASA
AASA, The School Superintendents Association, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.