This is Jennifer Gonzalez welcoming you to episode 222 of the cult of pedagogy podcast.

In this episode, we're going to talk about ways to build better collaborations between schools and families. When I am in spaces where people talk about solutions to some of our biggest problems,

poverty, crime, addiction, environmental decline.

One theme that comes up often is community.

Yes, we need infrastructure, equal access to services that meet our needs, fair laws, and ethical leaders.

But while we wait and fight for those things,

so much can be accomplished by building community,

developing a strong network of mutual support by simply getting to know the people around us, sharing resources, and learning from each other.

This holds true for education as well.

Most schools operate within a larger community and the

better we are at building relationships between our schools and our communities

the better we can serve our students.

While this principle is not new,

as our student population grows ever more diverse,

many schools haven't been quite as successful

as they'd like to be when trying to connect with their

students families.

Despite holding open houses and special theme nights, setting up parent-teacher conferences, sending

home newsletters, and using apps designed specifically to keep families

in the loop.

I hear too many teachers say these efforts still don't produce the results they hope for.

And side note, on the other end of the spectrum,

...