Family Engagement Lab with Vidya Sundaram & Elisabeth O'Bryon
Thu Feb 05 2026
In this EdTech Startup Showcase episode, host Jethro Jones interviews Vidya Sundaram (CEO) and Elisabeth O'Bryon (Chief Impact Officer) from Family Engagement Lab. The conversation explores how their platform bridges the gap between classroom learning and home support through bite-sized, actionable text messages that help families understand what their children are learning and how to reinforce those skills at home. The founders share their personal motivations—Elizabeth's experience as a bilingual school psychologist working with diverse families, and Vidya's childhood experience of disconnect between her immigrant family's educational values and school communication. They discuss their FAST Talk model (Families and Schools Talk), which has supported over 70,000 students across 50+ districts, and their new AI learning coach that provides personalized support for parents' questions.
Key Takeaways
Family engagement works best when it's accessible and actionableShort text messages (160 characters) with specific, grade-level appropriate activities are more effective than lengthy emailsThe impact is greatest for underserved studentsResearch shows the most pronounced learning gains for students whose families don't share a common language with teachers and those who started the year behind academicallyParents want to help but need the right informationFamilies have passion and interest in supporting learning but often lack insight into what's happening in the classroom and how to help at the right developmental levelSustainable implementation requires cross-functional coordinationSuccess comes from communications experts working alongside curriculum teams to create a shared responsibility for family engagementAI can personalize family supportTheir new AI learning coach allows parents to ask specific questions about their child's needs and build their own confidence in supporting learning at home
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In this EdTech Startup Showcase episode, host Jethro Jones interviews Vidya Sundaram (CEO) and Elisabeth O'Bryon (Chief Impact Officer) from Family Engagement Lab. The conversation explores how their platform bridges the gap between classroom learning and home support through bite-sized, actionable text messages that help families understand what their children are learning and how to reinforce those skills at home. The founders share their personal motivations—Elizabeth's experience as a bilingual school psychologist working with diverse families, and Vidya's childhood experience of disconnect between her immigrant family's educational values and school communication. They discuss their FAST Talk model (Families and Schools Talk), which has supported over 70,000 students across 50+ districts, and their new AI learning coach that provides personalized support for parents' questions. Key Takeaways Family engagement works best when it's accessible and actionableShort text messages (160 characters) with specific, grade-level appropriate activities are more effective than lengthy emailsThe impact is greatest for underserved studentsResearch shows the most pronounced learning gains for students whose families don't share a common language with teachers and those who started the year behind academicallyParents want to help but need the right informationFamilies have passion and interest in supporting learning but often lack insight into what's happening in the classroom and how to help at the right developmental levelSustainable implementation requires cross-functional coordinationSuccess comes from communications experts working alongside curriculum teams to create a shared responsibility for family engagementAI can personalize family supportTheir new AI learning coach allows parents to ask specific questions about their child's needs and build their own confidence in supporting learning at home