The free online professional development series will feature family engagement and digital learning thought leaders

(Seattle, WA) January 26, 2017 — Bloomz today announced the launch of its free webinar series, Building a Culture of Family Involvement. The series will focus on parental and family involvement in education, and the impact it has upon student achievement.

The series begins February 15, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. CST, with The Evidence is in: Student Achievement Starts at Home, led by Dr. William Jeynes. Dr. Jeynes, a Professor of Education at California State University, will share the findings of his analysis of the grades of 300,000 students and the behavior of their parents or primary caregivers. He’ll reveal the impact that family involvement has on student learning, the importance of reading at home, and what parenting aspect most improves student performance. He’ll also include practical applications for the data, including what kind of family involvement programs work best, and strategies for encouraging more family involvement.

The series continues on March 15, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. CST, with From the Front Lines: Ideas for Improving Family Engagement, led by Julie Evans, the CEO of Project Tomorrow. Educators attending this webinar will learn about the biggest barriers educators face in connecting with families and the community, and what digital communication strategies are being used to effectively reach families. Evans developed Project Tomorrow’s Speak Up National Research Project, and has served as chief researcher on this and many other projects. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Project Tomorrow, the Reaching At-Promise Students Association Advisory Board, and the TechSETS Advisory Board.

The third webinar will be Supporting Parents as Learning Partners: Quality Use of Technology at Home, presented by Dr. Monica Burns, founder of ClassTechTips.com. On April 14, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. CST, Dr. Burns will share the importance of using technology to promote deeper learning, communication, and collaboration—in and out of the classroom. Webinar attendees will learn how to share technology tips with families, how to honor the interests of parents and caregivers as learners, and how to support families with a range of access to technology. Dr. Burns is a consultant, specializing in curriculum and ed tech. She is also an Apple Distinguished Educator and an Amazon Education Teacher Innovator. She has presented at national and international conferences, including SXSWedu, ISTE, and EduTECH, and she regularly contributes to Edutopia and Channel One News.

The fourth and final webinar in the series will be 5 Habits You Can Start Now to Help Your Classroom Thrive in the Fall: Testing Things Is Great to Do at the End of the Year, presented by Vicki Davis, also known as The Cool Cat Teacher. On Thursday April 27^th, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. CST, this webinar will provide practical end-of-year strategies for teachers to implement in their classroom now to help them be ready for the next school year (without spending time during the much-deserved summer break). A full-time teacher and IT Director at a small school in Georgia, Davis is also a recognized blogger, speaker, author of three books, and winner of the BAMMY Award for Best Education Talk Show Host for her work in the “Every Classroom Matters” podcast.

“Bloomz is really proud to offer this webinar series, a first in its kind,” said Chaks Appalabattula, the CEO of Bloomz. “It’s our greatest desire that, through this webinar series, educators will have better appreciation of the value of parental engagement and be better armed to engage families in the educational process and increase their students’ chance for success.”

To learn more about this webinar series hosted by Bloomz, please visit Bloomz.com/WebinarSeries.

About Bloomz
Bloomz is the free mobile and web app that connects educators with parents in a secure, social, private environment. In Bloomz, parents feel more connected than they ever have to their children’s world, and teachers have more time than ever before, because they have everything they need in one simple-to-use tool. Learn more at Bloomz.com.

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