April 2026 

Dear Friends,

We’ve been reflecting on what this newsletter should offer the field and where it’s fallen short.

“Learning Series” captured part of our intent, but not our stance. As our work has evolved, grounded in original research, implementation partnerships, and lessons from real school communities, it became clear that the way we show up here needed to evolve too.

Going forward, this newsletter will more directly reflect what we contribute: evidence-grounded insights on instructional family engagement, drawn from what we’re seeing in practice.

That means sharing original research, reflecting on what’s working (and what isn’t), and offering a clearer point of view on what it actually takes for schools and families to partner around student learning.

This is less about a name change and more about clarity. We want this to be a place you come to understand the how of family engagement, what it takes to make it work in practice.

One place this shift shows up clearly is in our April blog post. Schools have made real progress in reaching families with consistent, learning-focused communication, but reaching families is not the same as engaging them.

Our post explores why strong delivery and awareness don’t always translate into meaningful use, and what conditions actually support families in becoming active partners in learning. It offers a shift in perspective: from improving messages alone to designing the systems, routines, and connections that make engagement possible over time.

Thank you for being part of this next chapter with us.

Vidya Sundaram and Elisabeth O’Bryon

Family Engagement Lab Co-founders

A Clearer Look at Our Work

We’ve also updated our website to better reflect how our work has evolved.

You’ll find more detail on our research, our approach to implementation, and how we’re thinking about family engagement as part of the instructional core.

From the Field: What We’re Seeing

Schools are reaching families more than ever before. Messages are timely, accessible, and increasingly connected to what students are learning.

But reach isn’t the same as engagement.

In our recent implementation study, we saw strong delivery and high awareness—but what stood out was the importance of the conditions that enable communication to go beyond being received and noticed, and become part of ongoing learning over time.

What seems to matter is whether families understand how to use what they receive, whether educators reinforce it, and whether it fits into the flow of daily life.

Without those conditions, communication stays informational. When they begin to align, it can become part of how learning happens beyond the classroom.

What We're Reading

A Practical Guide for Educators and Families

This guide from The Center for Literacy & Learning offers a broad look at family engagement strategies across school systems, with a focus on building stronger partnerships between educators and families. What stands out is its attention to both structure and relationship, and how engagement improves when schools connect outreach to learning, not just communication.

For teams thinking about system-level implementation, it’s a useful companion to more targeted instructional approaches.

Upcoming Events

This coming month, we’ll be at the NewSchools Summit which will convene educators, system leaders, and partners working to improve how schools support student learning at scale.

This is the kind of space where we test and refine our thinking, especially around what it takes to move from family engagement as communication to family engagement as part of the instructional core.

If you’re exploring how to connect family engagement more directly to student learning, we’d love to connect.

NewSchools Summit

May 6-7, 2026, San Francisco, CA

https://www.newschools.org/summit/