A growing body of research shows that attendance and family engagement are two of the largest predictors in student success. As the COVID-19 pandemic caused districts to close buildings and shift to distance learning—we were prompted to re-examine what it means to engage students and families, and re-define what it means to foster relationships that create a positive school climate and culture. In this session, we'll explore: - Why family relationships are paramount to keeping kids in school [1 + 2] - What Central Falls School District learned about family engagement during school closures - How we can use research-based practices to build strong school-home relationships in any condition such as two-way communications, digital home visits[3], and more. - How we can use two way communication to shift the power paradigm between schools and families in high-poverty neighborhoods