Six districts are winners of the 2009 Partnership District Awards from the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) at Johns Hopkins University. They are recognized for excellence in developing and sustaining comprehensive, goal-oriented programs of school, family, and community partnerships. The award winners are working to ensure that all families are welcome in all schools, and that programs and practices of family and community involvement help increase student achievement and other indicators of success in school.
District leaders for partnerships submitted descriptions of district-level activities that increased awareness of family and community involvement, aligned actions for partnerships with other district policies for school improvement, and extended leadership for partnerships. They also submitted evidence of how they, as district leaders, directly facilitated the work of individual schools’ Action Teams for Partnerships (ATPs) to build school-based capacities for conducting effective programs of family and community involvement. This included conducting training workshops for ATPs, helping ATPs share best practices, evaluating progress, and offering on-going support to help schools’ ATPs implement excellent partnership programs. The activities are part of the districts’ written Leadership Action Plans for Partnerships (also submitted), as outlined in the NNPS School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, Third Edition (2009, Corwin Press).
District leaders showed how leadership, teamwork, written plans, facilitated action, funding, evaluations, and support from colleagues helped them meet leadership challenges and improve the quality of their work on partnerships. Some of the district-level activities described below are included in the NNPS collection, Promising Partnership Practices 2009.
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**Francis Howell School District, MO Mary Jo Griffin, Director, Early Childhood and Family & Community Involvement; Dr. Reneé Schuster, Superintendent. |
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Hampton City Schools-Title I Department, VA Chanda J. Epps, Title I Coordinator of Parent Involvement; Dr. Patrick Russo, Superintendent. |
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*Middletown Public Schools, CT Donna Marino. Parent Education Center Coordinator; Dr. Michael Frechette, Superintendent. |
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Naperville Community Unit School District 203, IL Nina Menis, Director, |
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Lorraine Landon, Parent Education Center |
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Virginia Beach City Public Schools, VA Melissa T. McQuarrie, Director of Community Relations; Karen Clevinger, Title I Instructional Specialist; Dr. James G. Merrill, Superintendent. |