NPS starts school year with launch of Family Engagement Center

Newton Public Schools (NPS) marked the beginning of the 2025–26 school year with the formal launch of the NPS Family Engagement Center, created to strengthen connections between schools and families.

At a press conference at the Education Center, Superintendent Anna Nolin introduced the initiative alongside Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Pedro Martinez, who was making one of his first public appearances since starting in that role July 1. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, School Committee member Emily Prenner, and members of the superintendent’s senior leadership team also attended.

NPS Director of Communications & Family Engagement Christina Maryland

Christina Maryland, NPS Director of Communications & Family Engagement, will lead the Center. She said it is designed as a single point of contact for families who need help with enrollment, attendance, or finding their way to the right person inside the district. It will also serve as a communications hub, ensuring that families who might otherwise feel disconnected will know where to turn.

Maryland stressed that the Center is meant to complement, not compete with, the connections that parents and caregivers already build within their individual schools. She said its purpose is to make district systems easier to navigate and to provide referrals or “warm handoffs” when families need additional support, adding, “We want parents and caregivers to feel they have an entry point into Newton Public Schools.”

Dr. Nolin highlighted that in its first few weeks of operation, the center has assisted more than 100 families with translation services for newcomers and guidance on school registration. She described the initiative as central to the district’s effort to view education as involving not only students, but the families that support them.

Denirian Santos Gonzalez welcomes all to the Family Engagement Center at the NPS Office of Family and Community Partnerships (photo: Bruce Henderson)

Parent Academy

The center will also offer the Parent Academy, a workshop series designed to help families understand the district’s curriculum, track student progress, and build confidence in supporting learning at home. Topics will include how to read literacy benchmarks, what math expectations look like at each grade level, and how to recognize signs that a student is thriving. Maryland added that the program will also provide opportunities for parents to connect with one another, reducing the sense of isolation that some families experience.

The Family Engagement Center is part of the district’s “Thrive 2030” strategic plan, which lays out long-term goals for academic growth, equity, and student well-being. Dr. Nolin cited the district’s summer work, including 130 professional development workshops and more than 300 days of training, as an example of how Newton is investing in both teachers and students. These sessions were tied to the district’s Portrait of a Learner framework, which emphasizes adaptability, empathy, and critical thinking.

An example for Massachusetts

Commissioner Martinez praised Newton for treating family engagement as a foundational strategy rather than an afterthought, and he noted that the district’s approach should serve as an example across Massachusetts. He also underscored the importance of building strong partnerships with parents to address challenges such as chronic absenteeism.

(The DESE website notes that 14.5% of NPS students were chronically absent — missing 10% or more of school days — in the 2024-25 school year, including absences that may have been excused. NPS appointed a full-time attendance officer last May.)

Mayor Fuller described education as the City’s highest priority and said the new Center will help break down barriers that sometimes separate families from the school system.