Greg Justice, LaVerne Rome (NNPS Key Contact), and Diana McAlroy.
District-Level Leadership for Partnerships
In the Lowndes County School System, six schools and the district office are members of NNPS. In 2008, a district-level leadership activity – Lunch and Learn – was conducted to encourage employed parents to get more involved in their children’s education. Lunch and Learn seminars were hosted at factories and hotels across the district for parents whose work schedules made it difficult to get to their children’s schools for meetings during the school day. Business and industry partnered with the district leader to speak to their employees during the normal lunch hour. More than 50 parents and many community members participated in a 30-45 minute talk that included a YouTube video, PowerPoint presentation on the importance of parental involvement and Helping Your Child Succeed, and a Q & A period. Parents also received a related workbook of information to guide their child as a student at home.
Facilitation of Schools’ ATPs
The district leader for partnerships assisted all schools’ ATPs in developing the main components of the NNPS approach – creating an ATP, writing an Action Plan, evaluating progress, conducting good team meetings, and more. She gave special attention to one middle school’s Family Night Literacy Celebration. The school’s team planned and promoted the event, and with district support, solicited help from parents, and obtained donations for the school from the local Wal-Mart. The district leader attended the event to meet and greet the families. The school, Lowndes Middle School, conducts an active program of partnerships, and won an NNPS Partnership School Award in the past. More than 500 parents and children participated in the school’s Family Night Literacy Celebration.
See one of Lowndes County’s activities in the collection of Promising Partnership Practices 2008.
http://www.lowndes.k12.ga.us.