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ParentSquare Community Connect: Learn, Connect, and Grow With Other K-12 Leaders
Written by Jisette Duran, Field Marketing Manager, ParentSquare
The most useful thing at a Community Connect usually isn’t on the agenda. It’s the K-12 leaders at the next table telling you what they tried, and whether it worked.
Maybe you’re looking for new ways to increase family engagement, or exploring how to modernize your district website, simplify payments, or leverage ParentSquare to improve attendance. Whatever challenge you’re facing, chances are another district nearby has worked through it and has something to share.
This is exactly what ParentSquare Community Connect sessions were created for.
The 2026-2027 Community Connect season brings K-12 leaders and ParentSquare users back together for another year of regional gatherings. These aren’t product training sessions or formal conferences. They’re working sessions where districts in the same region compare notes.
Which K-12 leaders should attend
Districts decide who to send, and the mix varies. What stays consistent is that everyone in the room works on school-home communication in some form.
- Public information officers and communications directors: getting ahead of a story before it spreads, and how nearby districts handle crisis messaging and website updates
- Chief technology officers and technology directors: how districts are consolidating systems, and what integrations look like once they’re live
- Student services and attendance teams: what’s actually moving the needle on chronic absenteeism
- Superintendents and principals: a regional read on what’s working in districts like yours
You don’t have to be a ParentSquare district to attend. Districts evaluating a change come too, and they hear how the platform works from the people using it rather than from a demo.
“Honestly the whole day was a learning experience since we don’t have the product, so it was all ‘aha’!”
Director of Communications
01 / 01
Looking back: a year of learning together
Last year, Community Connect brought together hundreds of attendees nationwide, creating spaces where districts could trade experiences and ask the questions they don’t get to ask anywhere else. Attendees made one message clear: The greatest value they gained was in learning from each other, not just learning about ParentSquare.
Districts shared communication strategies that worked, lessons learned the hard way, and creative ways they were using ParentSquare to reach more families. The conversations started with what districts were trying to solve:
- Chronic absenteeism, and how districts are using ParentSquare Attendance Plus to reach families before a student hits the threshold
- Report cards and IEPs still going home on paper, a problem Secure Document Delivery solves
- Staff giving families their personal cell numbers, which is what Virtual Phone was built to replace
- District websites nobody on staff can update without a ticket, rebuilt on Smart Sites
- Cash and checks piling up in the front office, moved online with ParentSquare Pay
“Meeting others who are navigating issues that my district is dealing with was nice, especially being able to share ideas and experiences.“
Technology Facilitator
01 / 01
What leaders valued most wasn’t hearing about the products. It was hearing how a district down the road rolled one out, and what they would do differently.
By the end of the season, attendees were describing ParentSquare as more than a communication platform. For many, it’s where their whole family engagement strategy now lives.
What’s new for 2026-2027?
This year’s season keeps what K-12 leaders valued most and adds a few things:
- More events across the country, bringing unique perspectives, local success stories, and shorter travel for districts in more regions
- More roundtable discussions, collaboration, and peer learning
- A best practices session led by ParentSquare team members, sharing tips and strategies to help you maximize the platform’s impact in your district
- Expanded conversations around the challenges districts are facing today, such as chronic absenteeism, owning your narrative, and reaching every family, along with the ParentSquare solutions to help address each
What doesn’t change is who does most of the talking: the districts in the room.
“The host district sharing their ‘ParentSquare Roadshow’ was my biggest takeaway.”
Website Specialist
01 / 01
Join the conversation
Community Connect events run from fall through spring. Whether you’re attending your first or returning for the 2026-2027 season, you’ll leave with fresh ideas, practical strategies, and a network of nearby districts doing the same work you are.