Ari Gerzon-Kessler

Ari Gerzon-Kessler

Ari Gerzon-Kessler is a sought-after speaker and professional learning provider. He is the author of On The Same Team: Bringing Educators & Underrepresented Families Together, which won the Gold Medal from the Independent Publishers Book Awards for outstanding education book of 2024. He is a speaker, trainer, and coach working with schools and districts committed to forging stronger school-family partnerships. Ari also leads the Family Partnerships department for the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado.

Ari has been an educator since 2000, having served as a principal and bilingual teacher. In 2006, Ari was a recipient of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund. As principal, his school received the Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award in 2013. His leadership efforts to strengthen partnerships with underrepresented families and dismantle unjust practices was featured in Education Week in 2015.

Ari regularly presents at national and international conferences on Families and Educators Together teams and other innovative family partnership best practices. His writings have been featured in a variety of educational publications, including Educational Leadership and Principal Magazine.

Ari received his bachelor’s degree in African American studies from Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in instruction and curriculum from the University of Colorado.

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Presentations by Ari Gerzon-Kessler

Ari is a seasoned educational coach, experienced facilitator, and a dynamic keynote speaker. He presents and coaches individual schools and districts to enhance their efforts in the following areas:

• High-leverage strategies that help educators develop stronger relationships and communication with families and propel student learning
• Foundational strategies to launch and sustain highly effective Families and Educators Together school-based teams or similar collaborative structures that bring together educators and underrepresented families
• Proven family engagement practices to increase attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism rates
• Profiles of schools that have utilized family partnership best practices to transform their school communities and increase family and student engagement
• Relationship-centered home visit trainings to support educators in implementing this impactful school-family partnership practice
• Mini-trainings on how to make existing school events for families more meaningful and fulfilling for all stakeholders (e.g., parent-teacher conferences, Back to School Night, etc.)
• Trainings on how to more effectively facilitate meetings, gatherings, and teams that bring together diverse stakeholders