Relational Coordination Collaborative

February 2026 RC Cafe - Relational Education - From Cradle to Career

February 13, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm ET

Facilitator

Jody Hoffer Gittell, Brandeis University

Panelists

Anne Douglass, UMass Boston, Early Education Leaders Institute  

Mora del Fresno, Instituto Relacional 

Pau Quintana, Instituto Relacional  (invited)

Marta Marques, The Relationship Lab 

Jane Feinberg, Power of Place 

Andre Morgan, Beverly Public Schools  (invited)

Matt Jones, Devon County Schools  

Jeff Grim, George Mason University  (invited)

Brenda Zierler, University of Washington School of Nursing 

Tony Suchman, Relationship Centered Health Care  

Overview

What is relational education?  Relational education is about the competencies that students learn - not just technical but also relational competencies such as the ability to communicate and relate across differences, the ability to engage in systems thinking, and the ability to create integrative solutions to complex problems.   

Relational education is also about the way learning happens in a relationally coordinated learning community.  According to Instituto Relacional: “We understand that there is no deep learning without meaningful relationships, and that transforming education implies rethinking how we interact in the classroom, among teams, with families and with the environment.  We believe that educating is a relational act and that any sustainable educational improvement begins by recognizing people, taking care of the links and generating conditions that make possible the full development of each member of the community.”

How well is education currently organized to support relational education?  And how relevant is relational education in a world dominated by technology and artificial intelligence?  

For this RC Café, we have invited thought leaders from across the educational continuum to share their work and to answer these questions.  Our colleagues from Spain, Portugal, England and Massachusetts have been working with school districts to strengthen relational education by building relationships between schools and families, among teachers, among students, and between teachers and students.  Other colleagues have been working to embed relational principles into professional education including nursing schools and medical schools.

Each panelist will have a few minutes for opening remarks, then will engage in a facilitated discussion among themselves and with the audience.  We invite you to bring your own experiences and questions!

Register Here

You will receive a zoom link and calendar invite after registering.  You must be a member or be invited by a member.   Contact us at relationalcoord@brandeis.edu to be invited as our guest.  

Become a member or renew your membership here!