AASA, The School Superintendents Association and the National PTA will honor excellence in family engagement across a school district on Thursday, March 6, at a special breakfast during AASA’s 2025 National Conference on Education in New Orleans.  

Alex Marrero, superintendent of Denver Public Schools in Colorado, is receiving the two national organizations’ first joint Excellence in Family Engagement Award, along with a $5,000 prize to support family engagement initiatives in the Denver school system. He was selected from more than 40 nominations by a panel of national experts. 

The Excellence in Family Engagement Award is made possible by funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York and Overdeck Family Foundation. 

Marrero, in his fourth year as Denver’s superintendent, has integrated family engagement across district strategic plans, budgets and infrastructure. He continually demonstrates a commitment to equitable student outcomes and encourages other school system leaders to contribute to national efforts to sustain public and private funding for family-school partnerships. 

Denver Public Schools enroll 85,000 students and employ 14,000 staff across at more than 200 schools. 

The following will be recognized during the event as Family Engagement Changemakers: 

• Sean Bulson, superintendent of Harford County Public Schools in Maryland; 
• Todd Cordrey, superintendent of Mancos School District in Colorado; and 
• Michelle Reid, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. 

The breakfast program will include a tribute video from AASA Executive Director David Schuler and welcome remarks from PTA Executive Director Nathan Monell. 

Schuler said in a prepared statement: “This award honors Alex Marrero’s impressive dedication to authentic family engagement and reflects his vision, persistence, strong convictions and sense of equity and excellence. We congratulate him for his many achievements and look forward to seeing the positive impact he makes on the students and families he serves continue to grow.” 

Marrero, in a pre-conference interview, said he believes his leadership philosophy centers on empowering every student, regardless of their background, to overcome obstacles and become innovative leaders in their fields.  

John Malloy, assistant executive director of AASA’s Leadership Network, said strong family engagement can have a powerful impact on student outcomes. “Particularly, in these challenging times for schools and school leaders, it is critical that leaders create partnerships with parents and caregivers and bring families into schools as true partners,” he said. 

(Bryan Joffe serves as AASA’s director of children’s programs.)