The school year is officially in full swing, and we’re inspired by the energy and commitment we’re seeing from districts working hard to support students and families. At a time when learning recovery remains urgent—especially in math—and new technologies like AI are reshaping education, one thing is clear: strong family partnerships matter more than ever.
In this month’s Learning Series, we’re spotlighting how proven family engagement solutions like FASTalk AI are empowering schools, unpacking key insights from Lexia’s latest report on reading engagement, highlighting the challenges teachers face and the support they need to build strong family partnerships, showcasing our efforts to amplify family voices in the national dialogue on AI in education, and sharing new tools and research to help educators create inclusive, impactful collaborations.
Whether you're looking to engage families more deeply, explore what’s working in schools across the country, or connect with others at upcoming national events, there's something here for you.
Vidya Sundaram and Elisabeth O’Bryon
Family Engagement Lab Co-founders
What we're sharing
From Classroom to Living Room: What Teachers Say About Family Engagement in Reading
Parental involvement is low to moderate: 77% of teachers report inconsistent or limited parent engagement.
Barriers are real: 79% cite parents’ work schedules, 66% cite limited understanding of how to support reading, and 53% note language barriers.
Teachers want better tools: Most still rely on conferences and newsletters, with limited access to ongoing, personalized communication platforms.
Demand for resources is clear: Teachers ranked in-person workshops, video tutorials, and multilingual decodable texts as the most helpful supports for families.
Districts that invest in flexible family literacy programs, multilingual communication, and parent-friendly guidance aligned to the science of reading will see stronger reading outcomes. Teachers want to partner with parents, but need better tools to make it happen.
Connecting the Dots: How FASTalk AI Bridges the Gap
The challenges identified in the Lexia report are exactly the barriers FASTalk AI was designed to solve.
Overcoming barriers of time and language: FASTalk AI delivers bite-sized, evidence-based learning activities directly to families in their home language, fitting into busy schedules.
Personalized communication: Instead of broad newsletters, families receive real-time, student-specific guidance aligned to classroom instruction.
Scalable support for teachers: With built-in multilingual communication and structured literacy prompts, FASTalk AI gives teachers the tools they’re asking for, without adding to their workload.
While the Lexia report calls for structured, inclusive, and accessible ways to connect the classroom and the living room, FASTalk AI is already making that vision a reality for schools and districts.
ICYMI: Families Deserve a Voice in the Future of AI in Education
The U.S. Department of Education recently released guidance on AI in schools and invited public input. We responded with a clear message: families must be at the center of any AI investment.
In our comment, we urged the Department to require family engagement in federally funded AI efforts, support inclusive design that reflects families’ lived experiences, and ensure tools are accessible across devices, languages, and connectivity levels.
AI has the potential to support student success, but only if it’s built with real-world family needs in mind.
Schools and districts across California should explore California’s Great Start Family and Community Partnership Toolkit, a powerful resource designed to support authentic, inclusive engagement with families from PreK through 3rd grade. The toolkit offers practical strategies for valuing families’ lived experiences and cultural assets, promoting shared decision-making, and reaching historically marginalized communities. It’s also a great tool for empowering educators, leaders, and community partners to build strong, lasting relationships with families.
Five years after the initial COVID-19 school closures, student achievement has yet to fully rebound, especially in math. A new national report shows that while reading scores are making slow gains, math performance remains well below pre-pandemic levels, with students in some grades still trailing by up to 14 percentage points.
Despite significant federal recovery funding and some bright spots among individual schools, overall progress has largely stalled since 2023. Experts warn that unless learning growth accelerates, students may remain off track for years to come. The report calls for urgent focus on effective, high-quality instruction and a commitment to strategies that can truly move the needle.
Where we'll be
Next month, we’re excited to participate in national events that unite educators, researchers, policymakers, and innovators who are passionate about family engagement and inclusive education. These gatherings provide meaningful opportunities to exchange ideas, spark collaboration, and explore how equity, technology, and family-centered practices can shape the future of learning.Connect with Us
National Assembly for Family Engagement in Education (NAFSCE) — New Orleans, October 6–10, 2025 National convening on family-school-community partnerships.Learn more →
57th NCSM Annual Conference — Atlanta, October 13–15, 2025 Conference for math education leaders advancing equity and innovation. Learn more →
