Gina Rodriguez, School-Family Facilitator; Richard A. Alonzo, Local Superintendent
Row 1: Nancy Parachini, Socorro Gil, Martina Anaya, Lydia Conteras, Lupe Sonnie, and Sarah Chau. Row 2: Yang Ling Zhang, Daniel Gil, Gina Rodriguez (NNPS Key Contact), Yolanda Smith, Luz Maria Gonzalez, Elizabeth Martinez, and Winnie Wong. Row 3: Alicia Enriquez, Dineen Ciochon, Teresa Barrera, Richard A. Alonzo (Superintendent) Lisa Juarez, Mireya Moreles, and Susan Burlando. Row 4: Linda Ariyasu (NNPS Key Contact), Marilyn Tcheng, Margaret Andrews, Carmela Gomes, Maria Mazloom, and Vera Padilla.
Local District F serves mainly Hispanic students and their families. One of eleven “mini-districts” in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Local District F and its Parents as Learning Partners Program with the Lincoln Family of schools is recognized for persistent attention to school, family, and community partnerships and for progress in helping elementary, middle, and high schools develop their partnership programs and practices. The new Superintendent in District F is an experience leader in school, family, and community partnerships. He is supportive of the School-Family Facilitator and, together, they are organizing a district-wide approach to work on partnerships. The facilitator serves on the District Superintendent’s executive leadership team; works with other district programs (e.g., Healthy Start); and writes a monthly section in the district newsletter for principals, teachers, parents, and staff.
District F leaders for partnerships meet with school Action Teams and principals, and arrange sessions for sharing ideas and progress through the year. The district developed a teacher-professional development component on partnerships for 16 hours and salary point credits; established an advisory team of community representatives from each school; conducted workshops on parenting, action team training, and special topics (e.g., mother-daughter career conference, communications in multiple languages); and participated in a county-wide conference on partnerships. District F also provides on-going team training, helps schools organize and evaluate their work on partnerships, and meets with principals and team leaders on special topics and issues.
External partners – Parents as Learning Partnership (PLP) and UCLA evaluators – also help District F. Site visits of schools revealed four “core findings” including the need to continue to support Action Teams; help schools develop action plans that focus on student success; offer more training to teachers to work well with parents; and strengthen the training for administrators and special projects (e.g., Title I/Bilingual coordinators).
The leaders in District F are realistic about the work that still must be done for all schools to improve their partnership programs over time. They have taken important steps toward a permanent focus on school, family, and community partnerships.
The National Network of Partnership Schools provides research, information, a framework, a model for implementation, and assistance to build programs. In addition, the yearly conferences in Baltimore bring together leaders from all over the country… You are able to share your progress and learn new strategies that have been applied and proven successful.
--Gina Rodriguez and Richard Alonzo, Local School District F, Los Angeles Unified School District