01/28/2026
8
Too often, family engagement is framed as participation—
advisory committees, one-off meetings, and feedback that never reaches real decision-making tables.
That’s not leadership.
And families know it.
That’s why we’re learning from Dr. Trina Nurse, MSW, SIFI in NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS—the nation’s largest school district—on how to move from engagement to shared power.
This session advances a critical paradigm shift:
👉 Families as co-leaders in policy, budget, and governance decisions.
Grounded in the Community School Strategy, participants will explore how districts can:
✔️ Embed collaborative leadership structures within existing systems
✔️ Institutionalize family leadership—without adding new initiatives or labels
✔️ Integrate families into standing governance bodies (school leadership teams, budget councils, strategic planning committees)
✔️ Use shared decision-making protocols that prevent tokenism and support equitable power-sharing
This isn’t theory.
Participants will work with real tools:
• Sample charters and bylaws
• Recruitment and retention strategies
• Governance frameworks that make collaboration sustainable
Designed for school and district leaders, community school practitioners, and family engagement professionals, this session treats collaborative leadership as what it truly is:
a systems practice—not a programmatic add-on.
You’ll leave with actionable strategies to redesign one existing structure in your context—advancing shared accountability, trust, and more equitable outcomes for students and families.
If you believe families belong at decision-making tables—not just listening sessions—
this is a conversation you need to be part of. www.facelearning.org
🔁 Share this with a leader ready to move from participation to power. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) AASA, The School Superintendents Association NYC Administration for Children's Services Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents