Tiana Seldon-Parent Liaison,
Andrea Wilborn- Parent Liaison,
Fannie Avery- Parent Liaison,
Diane Martin, Director- Department of Student, Family and Community Services,
Sydney Cousin-Superintendent,
Jean Lewis-Family and Community Outreach Specialist (NNPS Key Contact),
Kerry Foy- Parent Liaison,
Maritza Mercedes- Parent Liaison,
Mary Williams-Program Assistant,
Maureen Gomez.-Parent Liaison,
Carla Du Pree -Parent Liaison,
Elisa Roberson-Parent Liaison,
Deborah West-Parent Liaison.
District-Level Leadership for Partnerships
In Howard County Public Schools, a long time NNPS partner and prior award winner (in 2002), the district leader for partnerships is working with 19 schools in a growing local network of partnership schools linked to NNPS. The district aims to “scale up” the number of schools that are able to organize and implement school-based, goal-linked partnership programs. In 2008, district leaders developed a three-stage series of seminars to help parents from struggling schools get more connected to their children’s education.
The Village Empowerment Seminars introduced parents to a leadership model that encouraged them to participate in a variety of school activities—from PTA membership to volunteer positions at various after school events. At the second and third sessions, parents explored a primer about effective advocacy and decision-making techniques. Over 110 parents or other care givers attended, often with children who required child care at the seminars.
The series helped parents from diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds strengthen relationships, network with each other and with educators, and feel comfortable about participating in district and school policy discussions and in their own children’s education.
Facilitation of Schools’ ATPs
An end-of-year celebration, the Annual Showcase of Excellence in School, Family, and Community Partnerships, district leaders recognized all ATPs for their hard work throughout the year. The ATPs met with the district leader quarterly on their plans, activities, progress, challenges, and solutions. They highlighted their work at the end-of-year Showcase.
School teams set up display boards to share their best practices of family and community involvement with the other schools. Teams also distributed handouts so that interested parties could replicate the practices at their own school. After about 45 minutes for viewing the displays, guests listened to district leaders present a PowerPoint summary of the history of the district and noteworthy accomplishments of each school’s ATP. After dinner, all ATPs received a gold-embossed certificate of appreciation signed by the Superintendent and key leaders for partnerships, and a folder of useful handouts, including a copy of the 2008 UPDATE survey to complete for NNPS, a copy of an action plan template to complete for the next school year, and a collection of all schools’ One-Year Action Plans for Partnerships that were implemented in 2008.
See Howard County’s prior Partnership District Award in 2002 and examples of Promising Partnership Practices on the website, www.partnershipschools.org, in the section Success Stories. To learn more about this district’s work on school, family, and community partnerships, visit http://www.hcpss.org/parents/involvement.shtml.