National Seminar Pre-Seminar Sessions

Strong family and community engagement (FACE) efforts are essential to student and district success, and this half-day workshop will help school communicators and FACE professionals build those efforts with purpose. Explore effective strategies for engagement, collaboration and communication across diverse audiences, with tools you can bring home and use right away. Whether you oversee community relations and engagement or help to support engagement efforts in your communications role, this workshop offers fresh insights, adaptable templates and inspiring examples. Let’s take the mystery out of the relationship between communications and engagement, whether you are on a team or a solo shop. Join us to elevate the way your district connects with the people it serves.

Crisis situations don’t wait for perfect timing, and this full-day workshop will equip you with the skills, tools and instincts to respond with clarity and calm. You’ll walk through realistic simulations, develop essential crisis materials and learn strategies that strengthen trust before, during and after high-stakes moments. Whether you’re new to crisis communications or looking to sharpen your expertise, this workshop delivers deep practice and practical takeaways. Join us to elevate your readiness long before your next unexpected call or headline.

Kick off your Seminar experience with a dynamic, full-day workshop designed specifically for school PR professionals in their first few years. This immersive session helps you build a strong foundation in research, planning, messaging and relationship-building, while connecting with peers who are learning the ropes right alongside you. Expect hands-on activities, real-world scenarios and practical templates you can use immediately. Start your Seminar week with clarity, confidence and a brand-new network of colleagues. 

Staff-related issues can quickly become front-page news, and your response sets the tone for your district. In this half-day workshop, superintendents and communication professionals will get hands-on practice managing high-profile situations that demand fast, credible responses. Develop clear, confident on-camera messaging, craft effective holding statements and align media responses with internal and parent communications. Attend solo or with your team and leave equipped to lead through the story — not just react to it. 

Whether you’re supervising your first communications staff member or managing a full team, this half-day workshop will help you lead with clarity, purpose and confidence. Explore practical approaches to delegation, workflow design, coaching, and creating a healthy team culture that supports high-quality work. You’ll gain tools to strengthen collaboration, streamline priorities and communicate expectations that elevate everyone’s performance. Join us to build the leadership practices your team and district deserve.

8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. | CESO Communications

When people think of your district, what impressions, experiences and feelings come to their minds? Is that what you want them to think about? Inspired by restaurateur and author Will Guidara’s best-selling book, Unreasonable Hospitality, this interactive session challenges school leaders to rethink branding, marketing and the overall customer experience through the lens of extraordinary service and bold brand differentiation. Designed for school communicators, superintendents, principals and district leaders, this interactive session will give you the chance to: