TalkingPoints

““We were over-relying on phone calls, emails, and one-way communication. It became white noise for families. Oftentimes these communication platforms were ignored by the recipients.””

““As humans we are designed to be social creatures,” says McKay, Assistant Superintendent for East Central Independent School District (ECISD) . “School provides a safe environment for kids to build relationships, learn social connections, discover their identity, collaborate, learn from one another, develop life long friendships, and grow academically, emotionally, and socially.””

““Engagement is a two-way street,” Molina emphasized. “By listening to our families and meeting them where they are, we can create a true partnership that sets our students up for success.””

““It’s about building trust and relationships,” Molina said. “When families feel heard and supported, they’re more likely to engage in their child’s education. And that’s a win-win for everyone.””

““Sometimes the difference between engagement and silence is just a matter of timing.” Molina said. “And when we get that right, we can help families feel even more connected to their students’ success.””

““It was clear that Monday morning became part of their routine,” Molina shared. “They used the newsletter to start the school week with purpose, and that energy translated to how students showed up.””

““It wasn’t just about sending information—it was about connecting in a way that actually supported students and their parents.””

“TalkingPoints has revolutionized education in a way that few things do. It is a purpose-built program designed for this generation of parents. I love how it meets their needs instead of forcing them to fit into structures that we already had in place.”

““It’s so much more targeted towards all of our families, and all of our families really have that seat at the table. Everybody can read that flier, see that newsletter.””

““Building trust even more. We’ve seen an increase in family-teacher engagement, but want to see all of our families have a seat at our table, feel listened to and that they have an opportunity to give feedback. We want them to have an opportunity they wouldn’t have had before and to be actively engaged.””

““ In the first week alone, I received more responses from the TalkingPoints outreach than ever before! I’m so pleased to be getting responses from parents I’ve never gotten a response from before. In the past, I’ve had a hard time leaving messages and I’d never hear back- now I’m hearing from families I’ve never heard from before.””

““ It makes reaching out to families so quick and easy. It’s a HUGE time saver! Plus, I’m getting far more responses than when I used to leave voicemail messages for parents. ””

““We’re in an age where people don’t want to talk on the phone or listen to a voice message, so text is a really fabulous way of reaching out and getting a response . It’s a gift to be able to communicate with so many families at one time. I’m so grateful. ””

“From a district’s point of view, this commitment to partner success is really significant. Our district and our families appreciate that.”

“I’ve never met a company that’s done this so well. This is a true partnership between our school district and TalkingPoints.”

“I hear from teachers, ‘Please don’t get rid of it, we want it forever!’ For teachers, TalkingPoints has become a daily check-in habit and an integral part of how they support their students’ learning and development.”

“It really became an integral part of our vision, allowing us to build bridges, strengthening connections. If you have that trust and respect—oh the places you can go!”

“A lot of families wrote on their survey that’s what they felt: empowered and respected, and that they felt loved and were happy to come into our schools. It allowed us to make so many connections to families that had previously felt isolated from the school. TalkingPoints made it possible for families to ask questions, share updates, and stay involved in a way that felt immediate and personal.”

“Our motivation was rooted in the belief that when families feel heard, respected, and included, they are more likely to trust the schools in the district and actively support their child’s learning journey.”

“We saw how language barriers often left some families feeling disconnected and unable to engage as deeply as they wanted to within the schools and in the district. Traditional communication methods were falling short because they weren’t two-way. We needed a solution that would foster true equity and communication and build trust with all families.”

““Last year we had different things going on,” Lori explained. “We had teachers doing Seesaw, using other apps and making phone calls. We had teachers spending time communicating in all of these different ways. The challenge that we ran into with that is that parents wouldn’t answer the phone, and there wasn’t a clear channel to expect and engage in communication with the school.””

““A lot of the parents feel like those are personal invitations. They have a personal relationship with a teacher. They have a personal relationship with a counselor. They feel contextualized on a personal matter.””

““They’ll be able to check that message and respond to it on their own time. For many of our families, Talking Points is now their preferred method of communication.””

““When sending messages to multiple families, it’s so slick. As parents, we love to see our student’s name in the communication, not just something generic like ‘your child.’ TalkingPoints lets you easily insert the student’s name, even when sending a message to multiple families. It makes the teacher’s job easier, but more importantly, it makes the communication more powerful.””

““Rather than just retroactively waiting to see what’s going to show up in our student information system, they can have that real time conversation earlier. And as a result, the relationships grow a lot closer,” and families are able to offer support along the way.”