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Families & the Community Webinar

Beyond the Classroom Door: Extending High-Quality Instruction Into the Home

Thu., November 05, 2026, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
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Districts invest heavily in high-quality instructional materials, aligned assessments, and teacher professional learning. Yet much of a student’s early learning happens outside school, and families rarely get guidance tied to what’s happening in class. When they do, every classroom investment goes further.

Curriculum and instruction leaders from Baltimore County Public Schools and Putnam City Public Schools join family partnership experts from TalkingPoints to share how they’re extending PreK–3 literacy and math instruction into the home.

The panel will cover:

  • How Putnam City is involving families in meeting the state’s new reading requirements.
  • How both districts keep at-home activities aligned with classroom instruction.
  • How to reach every family and sustain the work at scale.

You’ll leave with practical strategies for helping families act as informed learning partners.

Speakers
David Golkin
Principal Product Manager for Academics,  TalkingPoints
David Golkin leads product work at TalkingPoints focused on building meaningful ways for families and schools to partner around student learning. He began his career as an elementary school teacher in New York City and has spent the past decade working in EdTech product development, specializing in creating innovative products and experiences through customer research and iterative experimentation.
Amanda Ensor
Senior Content and Learning Manager,  TalkingPoints
Amanda Ensor is a senior education leader, professional learning specialist, and family–school partnership expert with 25 years of experience supporting educators, families, and school systems. She currently serves as Senior Content & Learning Manager at TalkingPoints and is the founder of It Takes a Village, LLC, where she designs research-based professional learning experiences that strengthen relationships, educator practice, and student outcomes.
Dr. Keely Frayser
Chief Academic Officer,  Putnam City Schools
Dr. Keely Frayser has served Putnam City Schools for 27 years as a teacher, counselor, administrator, and now Chief Academic Officer. She is committed to improving student outcomes through strong instructional systems, effective leadership, and meaningful collaboration. In her current role, she leads district-wide efforts in teaching and learning, academic improvement, and the development and support of school leaders. Her work is grounded in the belief that strong leadership, high expectations, and a relentless focus on learning create lasting opportunities for every student.
Amber Mann Elder
Elementary ELA Curriculum Coordinator,  Putnam City Schools
Amber Mann Elder, M.Ed., serves as the Elementary ELA Coordinator for Putnam City Public Schools. With more than 20 years in education, she leads districtwide efforts to strengthen literacy instruction and improve student outcomes. Now in her fourth year of leading Putnam City’s long-term literacy plan, Amber has helped build a cohesive system aligning curriculum, assessment, intervention, professional learning, instructional expectations, and family and community engagement. This work has contributed to measurable growth in student reading outcomes and stronger implementation of evidence-based practices across schools. Amber believes sustainable improvement happens when strong instruction is supported by strong systems and meaningful partnerships with families and communities.
Samantha VanOsdol
Elementary Math Coordinator,  Putnam City Schools
Samantha is an accomplished educator with more than two decades of experience in the field of education. She holds a B.S. in Child Development and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, emphasis in mathematics. Passionate about early mathematics, Samantha is committed to deepening teachers’ understanding of how children learn math and strengthening math instruction. She serves as a board member for the Oklahoma Association of Mathematics Leaders (OAML) and is a member of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM).
Angela Dregier
Multilingual Family Engagement Specialist, Office of Multilingual Achievement,  Baltimore County Public Schools
Angela Dregier is a Specialist with 27 years of experience in Baltimore County Public Schools, where she leads district-wide efforts to support immigrant families and multilingual communities. She plans, develops, and implements effective family engagement strategies while collaborating closely with offices, schools, parent groups, and community partners. Angela also supervises and works alongside the Family School Liaison team, ensuring that the supports provided are responsive to the needs of Baltimore County’s diverse multilingual population.
Laura Schreiber
ELD Specialist, Office of Multilingual Achievement,  Baltimore County Public Schools
Laura Schreiber is an experienced educator with 19 years of teaching in diverse classroom settings, including Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia and Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland. She has worked with students in grades K–6 and spent the past decade specializing in English Language Development (ELD) for multilingual learners in grades K–5. She is currently in her third year as an English Language Development Instructional Specialist for elementary ELD in Baltimore County Public Schools, supporting teachers and improving outcomes for English learners. Laura has also taught internationally in Denmark, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, China, and the Dominican Republic, experiences that inform her culturally responsive teaching approach.
Dr. Jennifer Craft
Executive Director of Literacy and Humanities,  Baltimore County Public Schools
Dr. Jennifer Craft serves as Executive Director of Literacy & Humanities for Baltimore County Public Schools, leading districtwide efforts to strengthen curriculum, instruction, and literacy development across K–12. Her work emphasizes equipping educators and families to support student learning through coherent, evidence-based practices. She supports the districtwide expansion of TalkingPoints’ Academics at Home partnership, helping connect classroom literacy instruction with practical opportunities for families to support learning at home.
Moderator
Kate Pechacek
CEO / Founder,  OpendoorsEd
Kate Pechacek currently serves as K12 strategic advisor to systems-improving ed tech organizations and school districts, including TalkingPoints, and is the founder and CEO of OpendoorsEd. Prior to founding OpendoorsEd, Kate served as Head of Impact at TalkingPoints, one of several roles she has held in education technology over the last nine years. She began her nearly thirty-year career in education as a secondary math teacher. In addition to fifteen years as a teacher, Kate has served in districts nationwide, holding multiple site and district leadership roles in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and MTSS. She is passionate about ensuring equity, disrupting predictability, and narrowing opportunity gaps.

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Education Week is serving only as the host for this presentation. The content was created by the sponsor. The opinions expressed in this webinar are those of the sponsor and do not reflect the opinion of or constitute an endorsement by Editorial Projects in Education or any of its publications.

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