S4 E9: Building Authentic Family-School Partnerships: FET Teams to Transform Engagement with Ari Gerzon-Kessler

In this powerful episode, Ari Gerzon-Kessler shares practical strategies for creating meaningful connections between schools and underrepresented families through his innovative Families and Educators Together (FET) teams model. Drawing from his experience as a teacher, principal, and current leader of the Family Partnerships Department for Boulder Valley School District, Ari discusses:

➡️The critical difference between family involvement versus authentic partnership

➡️How to successfully launch and sustain FET teams 

➡️The importance of moving beyond traditional involvement to true collaboration

➡️Practical ways to build trust through intentional practices

➡️Creating sustainable structures for family-school partnerships

➡️Seven key strategies for promoting positive family communication

➡️Real examples of successful action projects and outcomes

➡️The value of flattening hierarchies and creating psychological safety

🌟Ari’s Book: On the Same Team: Bringing Educators and Underrepresented Families Together, won the Independent Publishers Book Awards 2024 IPPY Gold Medal for outstanding education book.

↪️Other Resources Mentioned:

• 7 Ways to Promote Positive Communication with Families
• Beyond the Bake Sale by Anne Henderson
• The Talking Points communication platform
• Ari's School-Family Partnerships Resources to Support Your Next Steps

Ari’s Bio:

Ari Gerzon-Kessler is author of On The Same Team: Bringing Educators & Underrepresented Families Together, which won the Independent Publishers Book Awards 2024 IPPY Gold Medal for outstanding education book. He is a speaker, trainer, and coach working with schools and districts committed to forging stronger school-family partnerships. Ari also leads the Family Partnerships department for the Boulder Valley School District (CO). 

🎙️New episodes release every Monday featuring research-backed coaching and teaching strategies you can apply right away to better serve the children in your care.

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Olivia: Hi there. I'm so happy you're here. Your time is precious. And because of that, I want to let you know right away what you'll gain by listening to the very last second of this conversation with Ari Gerzon-Kessler. Ari will offer you practical strategies to create meaningful connections between schools and underrepresented families through his Families and Educators Together teams, also known as FET teams.

[00:00:29] Olivia: Even more, he'll help you know how to move beyond involvement to authentic partnership. Ari offers tips for creating sustainable structures and building trust through intentional practices. Stay with us. I am so excited to have you join our conversation. Let's go. This is Schoolutions: Coaching and Teaching Strategies.

[00:00:53] Olivia: The podcast that extends education beyond the classroom, a show that offers educators and caregivers strategies to try right away and ensure every student receives the inspiration and support they need to thrive. I am Olivia Wahl, and I am honored to welcome my guest today, Ari Gerzon-Kessler. Let me tell you a little bit about Ari.

[00:01:18] Olivia: Ari Gerzon-Kessler is an educational consultant who works with schools and districts that want to forge stronger family-school relationships. Ari is a seasoned facilitator who has served as a teacher and principal, and currently leads the Family Partnerships Department for Boulder Valley School District in Boulder, Colorado.

[00:01:42] Olivia: Our conversation today will focus on Ari's inspirational book. I have it right here. On the Same Team, bringing educators and underrepresented families together. Ari, it is an honor to welcome you as a guest on Schoolutions. 

[00:02:00] Ari: Welcome. It's such a pleasure to join you, Livi. I'm looking forward to our conversation.

[00:02:04] Olivia: Yeah, I can't say enough about your book and your work. I know we share a lot of common core beliefs, um, about the, the The need for families and caregivers to feel served and welcomed into our schools, into our buildings for children to feel honored. And so I always name an issue up front, and I thought it couldn't be more powerful than to dip into the words in your book.

[00:02:31] Olivia: So, I wanted to start with your words. Um, “For many decades, the dynamic between schools and families has been driven by an involvement approach rather than one based on mutual partnership.” And so your book speaks to how we can address that issue. And then a more global perspective as well, Karen Mapp and colleagues, 2022, “Schools have historically been marginalized institutions. Places where parents can be haunted by their own traumatic experiences that leaves parents out of decision-making or actively pushes parents away that prioritizes professional expertise and does not reflect the diversity of the communities that they serve.” So those are some major issues historically with our schools.

[00:03:27] Olivia: And then you are a solution. Your work is a solution. Your book is a solution. Um, I also want to highlight Susan Auerbach's quote, one of the leading experts on authentic partnerships. Susan defines authentic partnerships as “respectful alliances among educators, families and community groups that value relationship-building dialogue across difference and sharing power and pursuit of a common purpose in socially just democratic schools.”

[00:04:01] Olivia: Here's what I'm so excited to jump into conversation with you about. It's Families and Educators Together teams. It's amazing work, and you not only describe what the FET teams are, and we're going to go in-depth with that in this conversation. This book is a step-by-step action plan for schools and districts that want to hit the ground running.

[00:04:30] Olivia: So I am honored to hold space for this conversation to highlight you and your work. Um, let's jump in. And, um, I'd love to begin by having you describe and explain, you know, there's a big difference between family involvement and authentic partnership. So can you discern between those two for listeners?

[00:04:51] Ari: Yeah, absolutely. And I would say most of our schools are still caught more in that involvement approach. Um, which is often defined by more of a one-way approach versus cultivating that real two-way relationship, as well as cultivating more two-way communication, which I think is a critical next step for most of our nation's schools.

[00:05:12] Ari: Um, another piece of Olivia that comes to mind is really this shift from transactional to relational, um, and that really being at the heart of more authentic partnerships, and not just saying we value relationships or we care about a strong school community. But having systems that are woven into the practices of everyone on the staff so that there's more intentionality about relationships.

[00:05:36] Ari: And it's not so much the, we emailed you this or we told you about this back-to-school night. Um, that it's, it's more of a reciprocal relationship. Um, it's also about co-creating events versus, um, the school unilaterally designing them. I mean, as I've talked about with a number of folks this past week, even I have so many regrets when I look back on being a principal in terms of ways I could have been much more effective in building a stronger bridge between our staff and our families and one example, you know, that comes to mind is for any of the evenings that we design for families.

[00:06:12] Ari: So much. We never had a single parent sitting around the table helping us shape that, which just seems, um, so illogical. Yet, my guess is most schools are still doing that as well as not taking the time to refine their events for families and really, as I'm doing with a lot of our Families and Educator Together teams talking about how do we make a back to school night.

[00:06:36] Ari: More relational, or how do we make parent-teacher conferences, um, more relational? Um, and the final piece, I guess I would highlight in terms of difference between involvement and authentic partnerships is really one us as educators taking off the expert hat and so many of these instances and meeting.

[00:06:55] Ari: Families more on a human to human level as well as treating them as experts, since they can teach us obviously so much about how to better partner with families. Um, and I think part of that as well is centering their voices and truly listening and taking action upon the insights they share compared to the normal approach, which is often.

[00:07:19] Ari: The loudest parents, or the most privileged or influential ones from the PTA have the principal's ear, but a broader cross section of families are not really included in decision making or sharing their insights. So, yeah, those are some of the pivots I think we need to make over the next several years so that we don't kind of stay mired in this.

[00:07:41] Olivia: Yeah. And, you know, I am a parent, a caregiver to two boys, um, one in middle school and one in high school. And I feel like often at the elementary level, families and caregivers seem more involved. There's different opportunities. And then as students get older, there's almost an assumption that caregivers won't be as involved.

[00:08:04] Olivia: Yet. I find it absolutely enthralling to be part of the conversation, especially for my older son, who's venturing out into college world soon. And there's so many opportunities to have dialogue around, you know, making choices and families are really struggling with knowing all of the facets of that process of the application process.

[00:08:32] Olivia: So. I think there's amazing opportunities. I also would love to hear from you, you know, name some of the benefits of authentic partnerships. 

[00:08:42] Ari: Yeah, absolutely. And I'm glad you brought up middle and high school. Hopefully we'll come back to that. Because I think there's been this. The partnership work can't be high quality at the middle and high school level.

[00:08:53] Ari: And even though students do need to become more independent. Um, some of the best work I've seen recently has been at the middle and high school level. So, I believe our secondary schools can do more in terms of the benefits of partnerships. I mean, And I write in great depth about this in the book. And in a recent piece, I wrote that for families to feel seen, heard, trusted, included.

[00:09:18] Ari: 1, it makes our schools more equitable and inclusive families are able to be knowledgeable about opportunities that then their student can pursue. Um, and I, and part of the motivation for the FET teams was sitting with some 8th grade moms, um, having a conversation in Spanish and them sharing. Wow, this program sounds amazing.

[00:09:40] Ari: This AVID program sounds great. Why didn't anyone tell me about it in fifth or sixth grade? Um, so this sense of like having to level the playing field by sharing with families much more about how our schools function. So that they can feel more knowledgeable and more connected and more empowered to reach out.

[00:09:57] Ari: Um, and the power of the communication that's fostered when families, especially underrepresented families, have more relational trust with the educators at their child's school. And in some cases, in some of our local schools, There's no communication because our schools haven't even provided, say, a one pager that our teams have begun creating of who are the staff members?

[00:10:20] Ari: What are their phone numbers? What are their email addresses? Who's bilingual? Who's not to make it easier for families to reach out? So there's such a host of benefits for families to feel more connected to teachers and more aligned with what's happening. And then, of course, there's a host of student outcomes.

[00:10:40] Ari: I mean, I was Sharing at a summit yesterday, 12 major benefits for students. I mean, and, and often family partnerships is relegated to a like back burner. It'd be nice to do this better yet. The research out of Chicago that I mentioned in the book from Tony Brick is it's one of the five key levers to move from a good to great school or district.

[00:11:01] Ari: Um, and, and the dozen pieces I often share is everything from reduced absenteeism to higher graduation rates. To, um, more, better engagement in the classroom, stronger school community. And then in terms of educators, and I think this is a piece that's worth kind of quickly highlighting is we stay in the profession longer.

[00:11:24] Ari: We stay within that school community longer when we have developed stronger ties with families and I think assumption we often mistakenly make. Is that this partnering with families should be easy for educators. And in fact, you know, the surveys show that it's the area that teachers feel least confident.

[00:11:46] Ari: And part of that, I think, is because we've received so little training as we become teachers and how to, to do it well in terms of collaborating with families. So, I think that, you know, in terms of listeners who are wanting to deepen partnerships with families to give yourselves permission. To be messy and to not have figured it all out because it really, um, is, is an area where we're not very seasoned.

[00:12:12] Ari: And what I love is practices that give us a chance, not just in trainings, but actually on the ground. In home visits or making a call to families where we learn how to be better through doing the work. Essentially. 

[00:12:24] Olivia: I also think I wonder a lot from families perspectives of that. That just walking in to a school facility and how welcoming or.

[00:12:36] Olivia: Unwelcoming. It feels, you know, buildings are clamping down with security, and so it makes it sometimes harder to get that entry point. But once families are in and caregivers have opportunity to become part of it, of the work in their children's experience. They're not only experts in their fields, they are experts on their children.

[00:12:59] Olivia: They know better than anyone else in the world what makes their family tick, what makes their child tick. They know their strengths and what they love. How could we possibly miss that opportunity to hear, especially from caregivers at the beginning of the year, but to have their voices involved all year long?

[00:13:19] Olivia: So I am. Honored to have you explain what in the world a FET team is. 

[00:13:28] Ari: Yeah, absolutely. No, I'm excited to jump in that. And you're just reminding me briefly that, um, it's so true as, you know, Anne Henderson, one of the coauthors of Beyond the Bake Sale and kind of a pioneer in the field. We can't know our students without knowing the families they come from.

[00:13:44] Ari: Um, so to me, whether it's parent teacher conferences or any other structure, how do we treat them like the experts they are? How do we transform an experience like conferences so that a family really feels. Seen and valued and respected as the expert, like you said, on their kids. So, um, to me, that those are some of the relatively easy tweaks we can make, but it involves conversations with staff trainings to make that pivot from the traditional approach to conferences.

[00:14:14] Ari: So, in terms of families and educator together teams, or teams, our district, very similar to most districts around the country, I think, for decades had been guessing what underrepresented families needed. And early on, I came across this quote, this comment from families of nothing about us without us. And I realized how many decisions were being made in the absence of underrepresented families.

[00:14:42] Ari: And I feel like every school in any community across this country needs a FET team, because as I've discovered, regardless of the demographics, um, there are families who have a ton of wisdom to share. And. That often, as you said, they're on the margins, either because their own experiences as a student themselves, or with their own children.

[00:15:08] Ari: And so the FET teams at the heart are about building a 2 way strong relationships between educators and underrepresented families. And both creating a space for them to learn. make it easier for students to learn about the school to access opportunities and just feel more connected and knowledgeable about how the school works.

[00:15:26] Ari: But the biggest part of it is a space for us to learn from families, how we can communicate, collaborate, build more trust. Um, and so it's one month, sorry, one night a month at each of the current 24 schools. And it's in the seventh year where initially in the pilot schools Uh, I saw after a few years how meaningful it was to create this space for everyone involved, um, which, you know, in terms of who's there, it's at least 5 educators from the school, at least 5 underrepresented family members, and then the school leader.

[00:16:06] Ari: And often at some schools, it grows to be dozens of parents and, you know, a dozen staff members, but regardless of the turnout, we put a ton of thought. I'd say many things in the hurried nature of public schools, um, or last minute and part of what I learned early on is if, We're really intentional. We spend a good, solid hour planning that next month's meeting.

[00:16:29] Ari: It's highly engaging for everyone who's there and everyone leaves uplifted. So I Olivia in year 5 basically launched for new teams and saw that they were thriving and in some ways stronger than many of the existing teams. And I began to realize I need to capture this in writing. We finally found a secret sauce of what the 90 minute gathering should look like.

[00:16:52] Ari: And I made my job about 90 percent instead of 25 percent growing and supporting the leaders that guide these teams. Because probably in this field, the biggest thing I've noticed and why FET feels like the solution is that there isn't an ongoing vehicle for family partnership work To be gaining momentum in a school, have multiple champions leading the way, and, and maintain some momentum versus the typical, like, we'll try this initiative.

[00:17:24] Ari: We'll maybe drop it or we'll not talk about it for 3 or 4 months. So, it's just been. Inspiring enough for me to, you know, after getting home eight o'clock at night from one of these meetings to be writing stories down so that one day, you know, I could write a book about it, which happened, you know, these last 22 plus years.

[00:17:42] Olivia: Well, bravo for sustainability. Let's just pause there because I mean, in year 7 and that idea of not just sustainability, but building capacity. Because for anyone to commit. to something that's a change to something that's hard work. You want to believe and hope that it's going to be sustainable long after you walk away.

[00:18:05] Olivia: And I think, you know, in, in our role in consulting and coaching, it's that idea of we often use the terms collective efficacy and professional capital, yet it's often referring to us. As educators or, um, the people that work in the school buildings, we really need to, I think, broaden the definition of those terms to envelop the community and the caregivers of our children.

[00:18:32] Olivia: That idea of professional capital and collective efficacy is we get smarter together. Absolutely. Right. And we love to learn and listen to each other. So those 90 minute FET team meetings, I, the possibilities are endless and you give beautiful samples in the book of the content and the structure of those sessions.

[00:18:53] Olivia: So thank you for that. 

[00:18:55] Ari: Yeah, I, you know, I've read hundreds of education books over a couple decades. I've been in the field and they've. Been such helpful guides, and I felt like in writing this, schools need to see true stories of the team coming to life, what happens in a meeting, what parents say, what educators, school leaders say during a meeting, because that's really what brings it to life, and I appreciate what you said about collective efficacy, because I think It's rare, you know, we've had professional learning communities and that was an inspiration to me of what can that look like, as you said, including families and the power of collective agency between families that, you know, I remember meeting a mom just a few months ago, who just crossed the border 3 weeks earlier to reunite her youngest kids and her with her husband and oldest child.

[00:19:46] Ari: And she was in her 3rd week in the country and at the school feeling lost and saying that in a small group. And a mom in the small group with us shared the same cultural linguistic background, said, Hey, here's my number. Call me if you have any questions. That sense of not being alone, having other families to lean on, it saves the school a phone call about questions, um, is a critical piece.

[00:20:10] Ari: And the other part you were just reminding me of is the value of families pointing out our blind spots, our biases. And some of the barriers. I mean, three B's that I think most of our schools are not conscious of because we're still mostly a white teaching force across the country. And in addition to that, um, we rarely are listening to underrepresented family voices.

[00:20:39] Ari: So, um, it's often on the back end in conversations that either don't happen because families feel they don't have enough trust to really share that with us. So that's why creating this trusting space within FET has been so powerful to illuminate where we can grow. As well as all the things we're doing well that we wouldn't know that families are appreciating.

[00:20:59] Olivia: Yeah, I love that, Lenz. And, I also am so concerned about social media. And, how it's often not used for the power of good. And so, what I appreciate with the FET Team meetings is that it's in person. I mean, you are so good. Circling up around a table, you're together and you have that discourse. That's not all Pollyanna and a perfect it's, it's that, you know, we're naming what's working well and what's not for our caregivers and that communication between classroom teachers as well.

[00:21:37] Olivia: I just, it's what has to happen with the world and how beautiful for our children that they can see. structure is in place because it's all in service of the kids and, um, and the, that connection. So what I'm also excited to jump into is that idea of how to get FET teams most successfully launched. Um, I know, you know, The spring and jumping right before summer always seems like a super busy time in schools.

[00:22:13] Olivia: And yet in August, we're so jazzed about starting the new school year. So when, when is it a good time to circle up and start planning for FET teams? 

[00:22:22] Ari: Yeah, great question. The heart of what I've learned over these last seven years is to try to set as much of a foundation in the spring as possible in terms of the school leader, I just got off with a principal an hour ago, and we were talking about one of your FET leaders is heading out on maternity leave.

[00:22:43] Ari: Who's going to be that new teammate or those two new teammates to support your existing leader? So it's not waiting till August would be like the simple answer of getting clear on who's going to lead it. And I really mapped this out, of course, in depth in the book, but that the principal is fully aware of what it entails, as are the FET leaders.

[00:23:05] Ari: That we're beginning to plant the seed with parents and staff. Um, I just 2 mornings ago went to 1 of our high schools. That's going to launch a team and presented for 25 minutes about it to the whole staff because we want them to be excited aware of it. Um, so there's a lot of seeds. That in setting the table in the spring, make it easier in the fall because there's so much to do to reach out to families, map out the first meeting.

[00:23:34] Ari: And as you know, well, all of us are kind of overwhelmed and stress in those 1st, couple weeks of the school year. Yes. So I'm, I've become very intentional around using this window of kind of mid April to early May. To do a lot of this work and be very organized around where school's at, because I know that if I try to have these.

[00:23:55] Ari: Conversations in the last two weeks of the school year, the first two weeks, they often, um, are not very productive. So, really being intentional, um, and I kind of onboard each FET leader around this time of the year, so that they can feel informed and excited and prepared enough. To to dive in. 

[00:24:16] Olivia: This is a perfect segue because you also had a piece just come out this week on edutopia and it's phenomenal.

[00:24:23] Olivia: You know, short and sweet, super helpful. It's called 7 ways to promote positive communication with families, teachers and administrators can use positive messages to strengthen the link between families in this school. I will make sure to talk a link to this in the chat. piece into the show notes. But you have seven ways to promote positive communication, and this should definitely be on everyone's radar as they're starting to think about FET teams.

[00:24:49] Olivia: Do you mind illuminating those seven ways quickly? 

[00:24:52] Ari: Yeah, well, and I'm so glad you mentioned the article, because in some ways it took me 16 years to write it, and that as an assistant principal, while I have regrets around my, um, you know, different things I could have done better as a school leader. I, I learned about positive phone calls in my first year as an AP from a book and it inspired me and I embedded it as a system in every one of the schools I served as a AP and principal.

[00:25:23] Ari: And I believe that positive outreach is one of the best strategies To build trust, better relationships, and it, it takes so little time in comparison to the return on investment. And so I finally just kind of succinctly, you know, put it into these 7 and whether it's a positive call, a positive text, a positive postcard or positive email, um, the key part is that surprising families with that good news.

[00:25:50] Ari: So, you know, 1 is choosing a strategy that works for you and for families. Having a script that makes it straightforward, um, setting aside a clear time for this outreach. For me, it was, I'm going to make at least 5 calls as a principal on Friday. That'll be 195 families or more by the end of the year. Get some positive news.

[00:26:11] Ari: Uh, the 4th, 1 is really. Keeping track of which families you call so that you've got a sense of, uh, who hasn't received that positive surprise. Um, and not just Olivia acknowledging academic excellence, but really that we're looking out for kindness, strong character, strong acts of like moral goodness. Um, and then at one of my schools, we began to display the positive Notes that teachers had wrote in advance of me calling to read that and we would post them so that for a good week, other students could be inspired by seeing those and then they would go home with that child's, uh, in that child's backpack so that the entire family, not just the caregiver that got the call could celebrate with them.

[00:27:00] Ari: Um, and then finally, the last step, you know, I highlight in the piece is to not allow language to be a barrier because if. We're going to be equitable and really honor all students. We have to use tools like talking points or other apps where we're making sure it's not just the families that we have ease calling because.

[00:27:20] Ari: We, you know, we share the same native language. So yeah, those are the kind of seven pieces. The biggest piece I would say, which I've written another piece around is like that we give time for educators to ideally do this within their work day, that it's not something we try to throw onto their evenings or weekends.

[00:27:37] Olivia: If we are building a culture of tending to each other's needs, it's different than false positivity. I want to just say that because this is authentic. Everything in your work is, the authenticity is brimming of recognizing we all need a seat at the table. The other piece I adore in your work that, I feel is really where the world is moving, uh, with universal design for learning.

[00:28:07] Olivia: It's, it's that authentic audience. So you speak to action projects that the FET teams craft and create, and you so beautifully in, in your book, articulate those projects once they're, um, followed through with, they really need to spark true, meaningful change and, and leave a footprint. So. How do you ensure that the action projects do inspire that change?

[00:28:36] Ari: Yeah, I'm so grateful for that question because that's been one of the biggest learnings and one of the biggest celebrations because the first four years we had fed teams, they built trust. It was an uplifting space. People loved going to the gatherings. But what I noticed was that when we reached April or May, and I asked the candid question of.

[00:28:57] Ari: To the FET leaders at a given school, how are all your colleagues partnering differently and better with families as a result of our meetings, they couldn't consistently say, oh, we put this new system in place, or this has had ripples across the staff. And that really inspired me in the 5th year. Around January to say, are you asking the kinds of questions at our gatherings?

[00:29:22] Ari: To get clear on what are one or two clear systemic changes that would be really meaningful to families and to give a, you know, a couple quick examples. Um, at one school, it was families saying they had no way of communicating across a language barrier with the staff, so there'd been non existent relationships between Spanish speaking families in this case and the staff.

[00:29:46] Ari: We did a 15 minute training on talking points. 2, 800 text messages went out from the staff that next year, 3, 500 came back in. Um, and it's It's like to reference my Andrew quote, it's like, well, know better, do better. The part in the middle is like, when we know better, can we carve out the time to intentionally do better and not just say, Oh yeah, that'd be nice to do, but we were too busy.

[00:30:09] Ari: Um, another school, a middle school, you know, I've been thinking about this mom a lot this week and this school that she said to us in April, two years ago, I'm so upset that my son is failing and I didn't know about it in January, February, March. So the team listened and said, we've got to shift. And increase communication to all families.

[00:30:35] Ari: So, the principal, based on what was shared in FET, carved out every 6 weeks the next school year, time for staff to text at least 5 families where their kid was on the cusp of potentially failing. Um, and that's been a game changer, and that then sparks the family to reach back out. Um, so there's been, you know, a variety of projects.

[00:30:56] Ari: One of our high schools and elementary schools now. Has started what we're calling ambassadors program as we welcome in newcomer families who've just arrived from another country and need and deserve so much support and kind of a warm welcome. Some of our parent leaders on the FET teams are becoming their kind of pure connection to support with that.

[00:31:17] Ari: So, some of these pieces don't take a lot of time and effort. Um, it's really just like the intentionality and, um, defining the structure. So, yeah, there's been a lot of projects that have emerged. Yeah. when I contrast with our schools that don't have teams. It's more of that sustaining and maintaining the traditional involvement and not innovating.

[00:31:39] Ari: And that's to me what I love about this work is that family partners is a realm where we can innovate and move towards best practice. As I was saying earlier, like, it's often left to the wayside in many of our schools. So my hope is this conversation we're having, you know, inspires a number of folks to say.

[00:31:55] Ari: You know, how can we do this work better? And I think having some sort of team structure like that is pivotal to have that ongoing vehicle because without it, um, we get so busy in a school that it's just not going to happen. Most likely. 

[00:32:08] Olivia: Yeah. And, you know, I also so respect that you're saying it over and over again.

[00:32:15] Olivia: It's making sure that the educators that are committing to this work do have time within the school day to tackle this. Because once you get home, it just, you know, life takes over. Um, that beginning of the year is a lovely opportunity to Ask caregivers as they're coming in, and if they don't come for whatever reason, keep reaching out.

[00:32:42] Olivia: Don't give up, right? 

[00:32:43] Ari: Well, I think what you just named, Olivia, is probably the single best practice for any educator in that first month of the year, is And that'd be, if I can wave a magic wand, it'd be that every educator asks, what's your preferred way of us communicating this year? Because it would propel so much more communication, um, and an actual, you know, relationship.

[00:33:06] Olivia: Yes. And so. I love the term evidence of learning, and I think of it often in our classrooms, you know, when we're making choices of where we go next with instruction with students, we're looking and pouring through their writing or looking at the outcomes. You know, what is the evidence of learning with outcomes?

[00:33:30] Olivia: And. I'd love to hear from you. You shared it at a conference this week. You spoke to 12 outcomes. But what are some outcomes you have seen that are just lovely and incredible to inspire us to get FET teams going? 

[00:33:45] Ari: Yeah, I mean, a few that come to mind. One is thinking about a parent who shared her passion for art that she'd had since growing up as a child in Mexico, and that led to her leading an after school club for students at that bilingual school, and her becoming the FET leader.

[00:34:05] Ari: Um, I'm also thinking about some of the, um, educators who are passionately Kind of leading the charge, whether it's an implementing talking points or other systems that really build a more meaningful community. So it might be revamping back to school night. Um, it's infusing, you know, relationship building into every school event.

[00:34:30] Ari: Um, I also, you know, I'm seeing in some of our high schools, this dynamic piece unfolding where the whole staff is learning. How they can better engage students during the school day based on what families share. Um, and and also just in terms of this strong sense of community and relational connection. I mean, a piece I didn't mention earlier, but.

[00:34:57] Ari: A lot of my backgrounds in social, emotional learning, and it's been interesting to apply a lot of the practices. That worked with students now with adult learners and see that if we're really intentional about building enough trust early on, it can lead to such remarkable connections and candor and vulnerability.

[00:35:19] Ari: Um, I, I often, you know, share this story of, you know, when you're building a team, especially a really diverse, multicultural team, how do you make. a foundation that's going to lead towards honest sharing. And in a nutshell, this comes from the book, Power of Habit, but Google spent 20 million, you know, looking at what are the ingredients of a great team?

[00:35:43] Ari: Ironically, they got to the end of that 20 million research and said, we don't know. They dove into some study about Saturday Night Live. And why it had been sustainable when other sketch comedies hadn't. And the end result, which is now somewhat more widely known, was that if there's psychological safety in a space.

[00:36:03] Ari: Then people can bring, as you were talking about, like, their authentic self, and, you know, it makes, yeah, it makes such a difference. I'm thinking of this hundred year old, um, can't remember his name offhand, but he worked in the Reagan presidency, and he was a national kind of like military political figure, and he said, no matter what space, In society, if trust is in the room, positive changes happen, and when it's not, they don't.

[00:36:33] Ari: And so for me, the heart of this work in the FET gatherings. And in the day to day practices that educators are using, it's all about how do we create that foundational psychological safety for authentic relating and not this like expert on the one hand, and then a family that feels tentative or timid or intimidated on the other, you know, on the other side.

[00:36:57] Ari: So that piece just feels so key, and we don't, in most of our schools, spend enough conscious, intentional energy to build that safe relational piece. We just jumped straight to change efforts. 

[00:37:11] Olivia: It's, it's so true. And I also, that idea of just everyone having a seat at the table. I love the term Lucy West and Toni Cameron taught me years ago, um, with their book Agents of Change, but that idea of flattening the hierarchy of the, just the system in general.

[00:37:31] Olivia: And to me that it's such a beautiful visual of this. And then we're all in the circle together. And everyone's voices, um, have equal weight. So, I think of it, Ari, I love StoryCorps and just, you know, sitting across the table and never assuming that someone has the same perspective as you. And that we have so much to learn from each other.

[00:37:57] Olivia: And, um, that's what this work really illuminates. End. It is an honor just to hold space for this conversation and to highlight the work that FET teams can bring and how they serve our caregivers and our children. Every conversation I ask guests who an inspiring educator is from their lives. Would you share with listeners?

[00:38:20] Ari: Yeah, I mean, the one that comes to mind was my 6th grade teacher, Lori Russo, I still remember her name, and I had just, um, left 6 years in public elementary for a brief foray in private school, and my mom happened to teach at this private, um, K 12, and so I got a scholarship, and transitioned into a classroom that essentially had 26 kids And 24 of them had been together since kindergarten, and I felt like a total outsider, um, and struggled that year socially, but my teacher, Laurie, was so phenomenal, and we built such a strong bond, and she really taught me, and this later served me tremendously as a teacher and principal, what happens when a student feels really seen and valued, and a teacher gets to know you to the point of, like, for me, I felt unique and I felt, you know, like well cared for.

[00:39:17] Ari: And so our relationship motivated me to work hard in a way I never had as a student. Um, and that really was pivotal in terms of making me care much more deeply about learning and also probably part of the inspiration for me to ultimately become a teacher. So 

[00:39:33] Olivia: There's a quote, I highlighted it, I circled it, and as I was reading your book for the second time, but even the first time, I wrote end quote next to this, because this has to, to end our conversation.

[00:39:47] Ari: Do you mind if I just share something real briefly before we wrap? Yes, of course. I love what you said about flattening the hierarchy. And humanizing the space and I just want to emphasize like one of the critical elements that's made FET gathering so successful is we learned a few years in sitting in circles as you described it, and that that's been a big part of my background of doing a lot of trainings around what shifts when we move into circles principles not standing FET leaders are not standing.

[00:40:16] Ari: We're equalizing that circle. We bring in everyone's voice in the beginning and end of each gathering. Um, and, and those two components just make and first names. That's the third piece. I want that the principle, everyone, we refer to each other by first name. So that everyone really feels that sense of we flatten the hierarchy.

[00:40:38] Ari: So, yeah, I would just appreciate you mentioned that one dimension, those three quick pieces, cause they're vital to, to how we, we do FET in a way that transforms the space for everybody. 

[00:40:48] Olivia: Awesome. Yeah. Are you ready? Yes, here we go. Okay. Well, it's in the introduction and I thought if the book is already this awesome on page 15, I like endless expectations, you really raised the bar.

[00:41:01] Olivia: But here we go. When there's trust. and collaboration between educators and families, children feel it, they feel accepted and valued, they feel known. Then school and home are like parentheses, which children are nested inside a community that feels connected rather than fragmented. In that kind of quality environment Learning feels safer with great intentionality and determination.

[00:41:30] Olivia: Educators and families need to challenge current paradigms of family engagement and co create this shift toward authentic partnerships. By doing so, schools will be more effectively able to address the array of challenges and better meet their potential. I could go on. I just, Ari this is it, man. We, we need to get this going.

[00:41:56] Olivia: You are, uh, an expert in the field. I will say expert, because you as a facilitator, I mean, you can jump in and get this cooking for districts. They can get your book. Um, but I just, I can't wait. To continue sharing this with districts and schools. I am supporting. Thank you so much for the important work that you're dedicated to.

[00:42:18] Ari: It's such a pleasure and thanks for this opportunity to connect with you and to share more about this work in hopes that more school communities will, will take this next step of more intentionally fostering stronger partnerships. 

[00:42:30] Olivia: Yes, here's to hoping. Take care. Thanks. Schoolution's coaching and teaching strategies is created, produced, and edited by me, Olivia Wall.

[00:42:41] Olivia: Thank you to my older son, Benjamin, who created the music playing in the background. You can follow and listen to Schoolutions wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe to never miss an episode and watch on YouTube. Thank you to my guest Ari Gerzon-Kessler for sharing how we can create meaningful connections between schools and underrepresented families through his model of FET teams.

[00:43:09] Olivia: Now I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email at schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com. Let me know how you and your community work to nurture authentic partnerships with your families. How do you move beyond informing families to co-creating with them? How does your school or district create sustainable structures and build trust through intentional practices?

[00:43:33] Olivia: Tune in every Monday for the best research-backed coaching and teaching strategies that you can apply right away. to better the lives of the Children in your care. I can't wait to have you join the conversation next week. See you then.