TalkingPoints: The Podcast

Falling enrollment isn’t just a numbers game; it’s a story problem.Every school-family interaction shapes your district’s public image. Communications leaders who recognize this can turn everyday moments into powerful PR that builds trust, boosts reputation, and drives enrollment. In this session, hear insights from Patti Moon, Chief Communications Officer at Aurora Public Schools, and learn how to:Equip all staff to use family communication as a lever for positive PRStrengthen your district’s reputation through authentic, inclusive messagingActivate families as co-creators and champions of your district’s story Stopping the drop is just the beginning. These strategies don’t just keep families from leaving; they foster a stronger learning culture that drives student success. We’ll break down the what, when, and how of digital communication to turn your school community into your most powerful PR team.Bonus⁠Click here⁠ to receive a companion guide for the "Stop the Drop" webinar.

In this short, "TalkingPoints: Fast Facts" episode of TalkingPoints: The Podcast, we dig into a routine task with a big impact: sending messages home. With nearly 1 in 4 students in U.S. schools speaking a language other than English at home, every message is an opportunity to build trust—or accidentally create confusion.You’ll learn eight simple strategies to make your messages clearer, kinder, and more accessible for every family, in every language—whether they read in English or rely on translation.You’ll also hear how TalkingPoints features like readability flags, Ed 101, and translated video captions can back you up as you build strong, two-way bridges with multilingual families.Let’s build something great together—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠start your journey with TalkingPoints.⁠

*This is the third in a 3-part series about a groundbreaking approach that deploys family engagement as an effective intervention itself within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports. Visit episodes 2 and 13 for the first two parts of the series. Identifying and understanding the root cause of a struggling student is key to getting them back on track. Families often hold the clearest insight into where support is needed most.In this episode, the TalkingPoints team uncovers how to leverage family engagement to drive more intensive and targeted Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. The presenters share actionable steps to support these five key engagement strategies.Collaborate with families to identify root causesCreate school-family “wrap-around” supportsEnsure equal access to resourcesBuild intentional, respect-based relationshipsCreate outcomes-focused Tier 2 and Tier 3 engagementBonusClick here to receive a companion guide with communication templates and solutions that can be used to support your intervention strategies.

See how research-backed strategies and new features help districts partner with families to cut absenteeism, strengthen family engagement, and get students back on track. Chronic absenteeism rates are at near-record highs. Every missed day compounds learning loss. But what if you could turn the tide with proven strategies that deliver real results? Let’s build something great together—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠start your journey with TalkingPoints.⁠Speakers:Rob Bayuk | Product Marketing Manager, TalkingPointsDr. Mallary Swartz | Director of Research, TalkingPoints

A strong school-family partnership is often established at the beginning of the school year. Back-to-school information and refreshed communication protocols outline a foundation that gives the relationship a fresh start.But by the second semester, new challenges may arise. What worked back in the fall may not be as effective in January.In this webinar, the TalkingPoints team shares strategies for building strong second-semester family engagement including:Identifying and analyzing root causes of engagement challengesBuilding a mutual combined response between families and schoolsSharing action-oriented resources to drive student successResetting mindsets with families to build trustLet’s build something great together—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠start your journey with TalkingPoints.Speakers:Kate Pechacek | CEO / Founder OpendoorsEd | K12 Strategic Consultant for TalkingPointsKristie Werner | Sr. Manager of Product Marketing, TalkingPoints

In this, the first TalkingPoints Solutions episode of our show, we share an up-close demo of one of our newest products!TalkingPoints Attendance Improvement Plus helps schools and districts turn attendance data into meaningful action to reduce absenteeism. By enabling two-way communication with families—powered by industry-leading translation—Attendance Improvement Plus supports attendance staff in uncovering the root causes of attendance challenges. It fosters collaboration between families and schools to solve problems and get students back in class. Let’s build something great together—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠start your journey with TalkingPoints.Speakers:Rob Bayuk | Product Marketing Manager, TalkingPointsKristin Daniels | Partner Success Manager, TalkingPoints

Family engagement is often seen as a support within MTSS, Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports. But what if it were treated as an intervention itself?This episode explores how to evolve MTSS strategies to position family engagement as a complete proactive intervention strategy.Listen to this episode, led by the TalkingPoints team, to learn about these five actionable steps to make family engagement a high-impact intervention:Focus on predictable issuesPrioritize prevention over interventionStrengthen trust by being intentionalCreate outcomes-focused Tier 1 engagement effortsBuild a district-wide toolkitLet’s build something great together—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠start your journey with TalkingPoints.Speakers:Kate Pechacek | CEO / Founder OpendoorsEd | K12 Strategic Consultant for TalkingPoints Heather Dooley | Sr. Director of Brand Marketing and Communications, TalkingPoints

Listen to this episode to discover how districts like Minneapolis Public Schools are building systemwide cultures of learning, moving from problem-fixing to solution-building with families.You’ll walk away with:A playbook for using dual-level digital engagement to strengthen learning culture around the classroom—so families and educators can focus on the classroom.Practical strategies to unlock the power of families and educators working together to boost student outcomes.The opportunity to take part in a live, interactive 5-minute Thought Exchange workshop to share and rank best practices with peers on co-creating with families.Learn more about TalkingPoints - ⁠Watch this 90-second videoSpeakers:Donnie Belcher | Executive Director of Communications and Engagement | Minneapolis Public SchoolsAmanda Ensor | Senior Content and Learning Manager | TalkingPointsKate Pechacek | CEO / Founder OpendoorsEd | K12 Strategic Consultant for TalkingPoints

For a decade, TalkingPoints has pioneered AI for social impact—long before it was mainstream. We have partnered with leaders like Google and OpenAI, harnessed big datasets, and were the first nonprofit to secure a GPT-3 license and the first social impact organization to experiment with custom GPTs. Today, our team of innovators continues to push boundaries and do things that weren’t possible even a few months ago.Join us for an inside look at how we’re experimenting with cutting-edge AI to improve outcomes for millions of students by transforming the way schools engage with families. You’ll hear directly from our R&D and data teams and see how we’re using AI to help educators craft effective research-based messages, analyze over one billion family–educator conversations, and unlock insights from decades of research. And you’ll walk away knowing how to build your own custom GPT.Learn more about TalkingPoints - Watch this 90-second videoSpeakers:Heejae Lim | CEO / Founder ,TalkingPointsRita Kirschner | Sr. Data and Product Manager, TalkingPointsSergio Sanchez | Sr. Data EngineerDavid Golkin | Principal Product Manager, TalkingPoints

Congratulations! You’ve made it past the beginning of the school year and built variable baseline relationships with your students’ families. Now’s the time to maximize those partnerships for the good of the students. To quote TalkingPoints founder and CEO, “Families are the game-changer.”In this edWebinar, the presenters discuss what comes after meaningful parent-teacher conferences. How do teachers turn those check-ins into lasting partnerships focused on student success post-conferences? Viewers explore best practices—through their own past experiences, peer discussion, and interactive tasks—for proactive and positive family engagement. Let’s maximize the power of partnership this year in pursuit of student outcomes. You are not alone.Download the TalkingPoints Conferences Quick-Guide and Collaborative Conferences Worksheet in our companion blog. Speakers:Paige DeLozier | Sr. Engagement Marketing Manager, TalkingPointsWendy Young | 27-year educator with KY DOE