UTLC 2026 · Passport to Possibilities
Empathy in Action
Strengthening Family Partnerships for Student Success
Thank you for joining me at the Center for Urban Teaching’s UTLC 2026. Here’s everything from the keynote: the slides, the TALK Method card to share with families, and further reading for you and the parents you serve.
The big idea
You’re the official in the booth.
Parents are on an eighteen-year journey with their child. What they get from you is a brief exchange: thirty seconds at pickup, a wave at drop-off, fifteen minutes at a conference in November. In that minute, you can give them more than a stamp. You can tell them they’re cleared to go.
Most of what passes between schools and families falls into three categories. We’re very good at the first two. Support is the piece that makes them work.
InformationResources, pamphlets, handouts, links.
AccountabilityReading logs, reading plans, signatures.
SupportNot a piece of paper. A feeling. It helps parents use the information and benefit from the accountability.
Three steps
Make the most of every moment with parents.
1
Align
Align before you assign.
Start with your energy and intention, not the transaction. Before a parent reaches your counter, ask yourself:
- How can I be of service?
- How can I convey love and support?
Use every form and log as a prompt to attend to how you ask, not only that you ask.
2
Affirm
Affirm before you advise.
Many parents go years without hearing a teacher say, “I see and appreciate what you’re doing.” So say it, and be specific:
- The returned reading log
- The conference they made after a long shift
- The video of their son sounding out words
When you’re specific, they’ll remember it and do more of it.
3
Advise or assign
Selectively. Right-size the ask.
One good tip builds a habit. Ten good ideas overwhelm. Run yours through the filter. Is it:
- Doable for this parent, on a Tuesday, after a shift?
- Memorable enough to say back in the parking lot?
- Impactful enough to move reading if they did it all year?
Ask for less and you get more.
Your Monday move: The next time you’re with a parent, affirm before you advise.
Why home counts
Home is where most of the journey happens.
Reading takes two kinds of knowledge: oral language and the alphabetic code. Families build oral language in every conversation from birth.
The Simple View of Reading
Language comprehension×Word recognition=Reading comprehension
A child can’t understand anything in writing that they wouldn’t understand if you said it out loud.
Hoover, W., & Gough, P. (1990). The simple view of reading. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2, 127–160.
Children’s waking hours, birth to 18
87%
About 7 of every 8 waking hours happen outside school. That’s roughly 91,000 hours by age 18.
National Education Commission on Time and Learning, Research Findings (1993); NAESP hours calculation.
A tip worth passing on
The TALK Method
More back-and-forth talk is an easy, impactful tip for any family. Any language. Any reading level. Five minutes or twenty.
TTake turns
AAsk questions
LLabel and point
KKeep the conversation going
TALK grows with the child: naming the crane outside the window at five, unpacking a math problem at fifteen. Anyone who meets parents can pass it on.
Keep reading
Related posts from the blog
Questions parents bring to the counter
Each of these answers a question you’ll hear from families. They’re written for families, so they’re ready to share.
- “Should I be reading in English?”Should I Talk and Read to My Child in Spanish or English? What Research Says
Why a parent’s strongest language is the best foundation for reading in any language.
- “I’m not comfortable reading.”Can I Help My Child Read If I’m Not Comfortable Reading?
How storytelling, conversation, and the TALK Method build vocabulary and early literacy.
- “I’m out of time.”How to Build Strong Family Reading Habits
Small, steady routines that fit real family life.
- “We already read at bedtime.”Building on Bedtime Stories: 3 Easy Habits to Shift Your Child from Listening to Literacy
How to grow a habit families already have.
For you: the research behind the talk
- What Is Reading? The Simple View That Makes It Easy for Parents to Teach Literacy
A plain-language explanation of the Simple View you can use with families.
- In Babies’ Brains, White Matter Is Crucial, and Conversational Turns Make It Grow
The brain science behind back-and-forth talk.
- Reading Starts Before School, and Parents Are the Right Teachers
Why families are already literacy leaders.
- No One Knows Your Child Like You Do: How to Monitor Their Reading Development
How parents can track progress and celebrate wins.
More to share with families
- Super Easy Ways to Build Your Child’s Vocabulary Without Flashcards
Everyday talk that grows word knowledge.
- 20 Questions to Ask Your Elementary Schooler After School
Conversation starters that get more than “fine.”
- School Involvement for Busy Parents: How to Support Your Child’s Education on Your Terms
Partnership that respects a family’s real capacity.
- Browse all parent-school partnership posts
The full collection on families and schools working together.
Go deeper
Reading for Our Lives
The TALK Method is part of the reading action plan for parents in Maya Smart’s book, Reading for Our Lives: The Urgency of Early Literacy and the Action Plan to Help Your Child. To bring Maya to your school or district, get in touch.