Are you tired of hosting family nights where the same few faces show up? Do your traditional events feel more like a compliance checklist than a chance for genuine connection? You’re not alone. Many parents report feeling like a “herd of cattle” at large-scale school events—moved through a crowded gym, with little opportunity for real conversation or connection. This isn’t just a failure of attendance; it’s a failure of engagement.

This session will move beyond the traditional model of “filling seats” and “checking boxes.” We’ll explore how to transform family involvement from a one-time invitation into a true partnership. By focusing on building authentic relationships, we can shift the mindset of our school communities. You will leave with actionable strategies to create environments where parents feel valued as partners, not just one-time guests.

Key Learning Objectives

• Rethink Your Events: Learn how to design family engagement opportunities that prioritize relationships over large-scale, impersonal gatherings.

• Build Authentic Partnerships: Discover practical methods for fostering trust and open communication with families, moving beyond simple information sharing.

• Create a Culture of Welcome: Understand how to make parents feel like they belong and are essential to their child’s education, not just a box to be checked off.

• Measure What Matters: Explore new ways to gauge the success of your engagement efforts beyond just counting how many people show up.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclaimer

Recording/Use of Artificial Intelligence: The Parent and Family Engagement Statewide Initiative, along with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), does not permit third-party recording or the use of artificial intelligence (AI) summary services during its trainings. Attendees of the PFE initiative trainings may not use AI services, language models, applications, interfaces, or assistants to attend, review, or record the trainings. The PFE Statewide Initiative further prohibits any person or entity from using the information included in its trainings to train AI technologies. Any attendees of PFE Statewide Initiative trainings who violate this prohibition may be removed from the trainings and may be barred from attending future trainings.