Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Dr. Admon Alexander

Dr. Admon Alexander centers his work on strengthening trust between schools, families, and communities through intentional systems and sustained relationships. Drawing from classroom teaching, nonprofit leadership, and academic instruction in leadership and communication, he approaches engagement with h a balanced, equity-focused mindset. Dr. Alexander’s focus remains on collaboration and shared responsibility, building structures that endure and enable meaningful participation across complex organizations. His approach treats engagement as a fundamental thread within the educational fabric, rather than a supplemental effort.

A Career Shaped in and out of the Classroom

Education has been my long-time journey for nearly three decades. I spent about 20 years in K–8 teaching and the remainder exploring leadership in nonprofits and higher education. The teaching journey began with students from second through fifth grade and later extended to middle school inclusion programs. Like many educators, my early years were shaped in the classroom, where I learned the value of connection and engagement. Over time, I realized that learning extends far beyond its walls, and these lessons guided my approach to education and community involvement.

That realization led me to work with future physicians, strengthening my belief that outcomes rely on relationships and communication alongside technical skill. It also took me outside traditional education and into the nonprofit sector, where I served as director of curriculum and later as executive director. My work there aligned before- and after-school activities with classroom instruction, cultivating holistic learning for students. Firsthand experience in the nonprofit sector reshaped my understanding of education and pushed me to explore the business side of leadership, something typically taught in theory.

At the same time, I served as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, teaching medical students during their interim year about leadership and communication. Eventually, I relocated to Virginia Beach, where I now serve as director of family and community engagement for Virginia Beach City Public Schools.

When I arrived, the office consisted of three people. Today, it includes a team of 12, reflecting the growth and scale required to serve an extensive public school system. I also approach this role as a parent, since my daughter attends school in the division.

Building Sustainable Family Engagement

Family engagement was valued across the district, yet still had opportunities for enhancement in structure and long-term sustainability. With limited staff and a highly diverse community, initiatives needed a foundation that could endure beyond any one individual. Sustainability became the core principle guiding every program and decision. Under my leadership, family engagement is organized around five pillars: welcoming families, outreach, professional learning, language access, and volunteering. Together, they ensure inclusion, consistency, and continuity across our extensive system.

We also introduced a family outreach coaching model, bringing the same level of intentionality to family engagement that schools already apply to instructional and content coaching. It allows us to embed the five pillars into school culture rather than relying on one-time events or individual agendas.

Equally important was shifting the way we listen. Instead of making assumptions, we use family voice groups and input forms to ask communities about their needs and close the loop by showing that feedback shapes action. This process is reinforced through an annual family and community engagement survey that informs division-wide priorities. Needs vary widely across neighborhoods, and acknowledging those differences allows outreach to be specific and authentic rather than generic.

Bridging Education and Community

To strengthen partnerships, we adopted a wellness wheel focused on the whole child, including social, emotional, intellectual, environmental, and occupational dimensions. Community partners identify where they fit within this framework, helping schools engage them meaningfully. A formal partnership orientation ensures partners understand school needs and expectations before stepping into buildings.

" When families, schools, and communities align, the greatest success follows, ensuring every student has the opportunity to excel."

We shifted our perspective to see families as assets instead of through a deficit lens. When people are invited to contribute what they are good at, engagement becomes relational rather than transactional. That philosophy is reinforced through three high-impact division-wide strategies built around positive communication, personal home communication, and volunteering. Each school selects one strategy to focus on, making engagement intentional, responsive to local needs, and leading to tangible outcomes.

Our annual Back to School Care Fair brings together internal and external partners to provide backpacks, free haircuts, vaccinations, curriculum guidance, special education information, and city resources. Now in its sixth year, the care fair has grown steadily, reaching approximately 7,000 participants last year.

We have also expanded initiatives that bring fathers and male role models into schools. These include pilot programs that invite dads to serve in simple roles, such as daily morning greeters. Data from these efforts consistently show that when more men are present, behavior improves and student success increases. Additional efforts encompass family resource fairs, school-based workshops, and parent book clubs, including a Whole Brain Child book club that emerged directly from family survey data.

Engagement with Technology and Trust

Technology is effective only when purposeful and intentional. We evaluate tools based on usage and impact. Language access remains a priority through translation tools and our language ambassadors program. Language ambassadors are multilingual staff members who provide in-person interpretation and help families navigate school- and division-wide events in real time. With communication and access secured, our focus moves toward streamlining family engagement, ensuring it is effective for all we serve.

Volunteer engagement is streamlined through digital platforms teachers already use, helping bring volunteers back after COVID. Digital systems and platforms help us to categorize partners using the wellness wheel, while newsletters, webinars, and social media support ongoing communication. We actively recognize the contributions of our community partners, spotlighting them through social media and division communications to build trust and underscore their importance.

Sustaining Growth through Connection

Raising successful students takes a village, and Virginia Beach City Public Schools is bringing that philosophy to life. Looking forward, family and community engagement will remain a priority and receive enhanced focus. This will ensure schools understand and support family needs, whether related to technology, social-emotional well-being, or basic resources.

For leaders looking to elevate family engagement from a support function to a strategic pillar, my advice is to be patient, build sustainable systems, and focus on relationships. Family engagement is not just about events; it is about empathy, collaboration, fidelity, and trust.

As I continue this work, I am actively pursuing consulting in the same space to help other school systems design sustainable, relationship-driven family engagement models. When families, schools, and communities align, the greatest success follows, ensuring every student has the opportunity to excel.