In Part I of our “Listen, Learn, Lead” series, you heard community reflections during COVID-19 rooted in family voice and needs, particularly those most impacted by inequity. In Part II, you will hear from another important audience that is critical to doing this work and that knows students and families best – educators.

This fall, schools across the country are re-opening in a variety of ways: some virtual, some  in-person, and some a hybrid of the two. Regardless of the environment in which your district may re-open, it is critical that school and system leaders continue to engage in ongoing listening to those who matter most in every school community – students, families, and educators.

In the same way you listened to the reflections from our panelists, we also listened to you. Below are some reflections and resources from the webinar to share more about who joined us, as well as what they’re hearing and experiencing in their communities.

In the Chat Box conversation, attendees most resonated with these three powerful moments from our panelists:

As School Year 2020-2021 begins, we encourage you to download and share these resources to help build strong relationships between educators and families this school year:

• NEW: Beginning of Year Relationship Building Toolkit. This Toolkit outlines four concrete strategies for building relationships with families at this time of year, including Welcome Calls, Partnered Communications, Questionnaires, and Community Building Meetings. You can download the Toolkit and interact with the strategies and supports on the Flamboyan website.
• Getting Started with REAL Family Engagement during Distance Learning
• GUIDE: Family Wellness Check-In Guidance
• GUIDE: Strategies to Reach Unengaged Families

If you missed Part I or Part II of our webinar series, or if you want to watch them again, you can access the recordings online anytime:

• VIDEO: Listen, Learn, Lead Part I: Community Reflections During COVID-19
• VIDEO: Listen, Learn, Lead Part II: Voices from our Schools.

Though this school year will look different for everyone, we hope you will continue this conversation with us to ensure that all schools are listening to those who matter most – students, families, and educators, particularly those most impacted by inequity. You can engage with us on Twitter and Facebook, as well as through our Shifting Perspectives news column where we are elevating voices from the field.

We look forward to offering more opportunities for listening throughout this school year, so please keep an eye out for our invitations in the coming weeks and months.