Newsletters, Field Notes & Updates
Newsletters & Field Notes
Field-informed insights, practical tools, and reflections for district engagement leaders who are building systems that endure. The quarterly newsletter, the Field Notes blog, and member emails, current and past, all in one place.
Roots Run DeepIssue 2 · Fall 2026Details
Published September 28, 2026
This issue begins with gratitude and remembrance for Joyce L. Epstein, Ph.D., whose Six Types of Involvement gave the field a shared language for moving from good intentions to deliberate practice. It spotlights Elisabeth Lua and Arlington Public Schools, where engagement is named as one of five strategic priorities, explores this quarter's framework pillars of Expectations and Capacity, and previews Ask the FIELD™ and the Systemic Engagement Navigator™.
The Window Is NowIssue 1 · Summer 2026Details
Published June 16, 2026
The inaugural issue of the Systemic & Sustainable by Design™ newsletter. This issue opens the Q1 theme and makes the case that the conditions for building durable engagement infrastructure are present right now, for leaders willing to move from intention to design. Includes a Leader Spotlight, field notes, and a first look at the tools and resources launching this year.
Field Notes Blog
Reflections from the field
Short reads from Michele and the field on leading engagement that lasts.
What Leaders Get Right Before the School Year BeginsField Notes · Leadership & ValuesDetails
July 2026
The leaders who build engagement systems that last share something in common. It is not a particular program or a specific strategy. It is a set of decisions they make before the year begins.
Read the Field Note →We Are Launching, and I Could Not Be More ExcitedField Notes · LaunchDetails
May 2026
After months of field testing Systemic & Sustainable by Design™ with district engagement leaders across the country, the response has been consistent and clear: this is something the field needs right now.
Read the Field Note →Member Emails
In case you missed it
Timely notes sent to SSBD™ members between issues of the Quarterly.
Your team is your system. Are they ready?Member Email · July 2026Details
Sent July 15, 2026
The question is not whether your team is committed. It is whether they have what they need to do the work well.
Online version coming soonBefore planning begins, invest in your team's capacityMember Email · June 2026Details
Sent June 26, 2026
Summer is the right time to build the understanding your team needs to do the work well.
Online version coming soonFree Membership
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Free SSBD™ membership includes the quarterly newsletter, Field Notes, member emails, and first access to Ask the FIELD™ when it opens in November 2026.