Connecting Schools and Families – Meet D’Lisa Crain, 2016 Leader to Learn From

The Washoe County school district in Nevada serves just about every kind of student imaginable—from children whose moms stay at home and volunteer in the classroom to those whose parents are still struggling to learn English. It’s D’Lisa Crain’s mission to ensure all of these very different families have the tools they need to help their child succeed. Crain—who often finds herself working 12-hour days in order to be available to working parents—has spearheaded family supports for more than a decade in the 63,000-student district that includes the city of Reno and is the state’s second largest. In that time, she’s helped implement an array of new programs and services to help fill the district’s diverse needs, including an expansion of the district’s course offerings for parents, a home-visiting program, and a new approach to parent-teacher conferences aimed at giving parents a better understanding of their child’s academic data. This video was produced as part of Education Week’s Leaders To Learn From project, recognizing outstanding school district leaders from around the country.