A Picture is Worth a Thousand WordsGarland School District Garland, Texas The Garland School District Partnership Program encouraged schools to share successful partnership practices by distributing disposable cameras to each school. At the end of the 1999-2000 school year, the district partnership program gave each of the sixty-four schools a one-time-use camera along with a gift certificate for developing the film. A community partner purchased these materials for the program at a cost of $700. More... Patricia Mullins, Family Enrichment Facilitator (972) 926-2681 Type | District | District |
Educational Toy FairLowndes County Valdosta, Georgia In Lowndes County, the Educational Toy Fair increases parents’ awareness of the best available educational toys and products that community stores will offer during the holiday shopping season. The items displayed are not available for purchase, but the participants have the opportunity to try the toys and products. More... Ann W. Abel, Title I Parent Facilitator (229) 245-2250x134 Type | District | District |
Fuel Your MindNaperville Community Unit School District 203 Naperville, Illinois This year the District Parent Involvement End-of-Year Celebration focused on the theme Fuel Your Mind. The evening’s informal dinner event spotlighted the good work of the school communities through poster board displays of building activities and the district’s annual Best Practices booklet. More... Mary Ann Bobosky, Director of Planning and Community Relations (630) 420-1066 Type | District | District |
Parent Advisory CouncilWisconsin Department of Public Instruction Madison, Wisconsin The State Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council formed in 1995 to serve as a sounding board to the State Superintendent and Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) staff on programs and initiatives. Meeting four to five times a year, council members discussed educational issues, policies, new programs that affect children, and parent-school-community partnerships for student success. Membership has included parents from around the state, including those of Hmong, Hispanic or Latino, African American, and Native American backgrounds. Three important initiatives resulted from the Parent Advisory Council. More... Jane Grinde, Director (608) 266-9356 Type | State | State |
PIES: Partners in EducationLong Beach Unified School District Long Beach, California The Parents as Learning Partners program developed an innovative way to involve more families in their children’s education. At the beginning of the school year, each family received a PIE chart divided into twelve slices. Each time a parent attended a school activity (parent workshop, Back to School Night, parent-teacher conference, concert, or other event) she/he received a sticker to apply to the PIE chart. When all twelve slices were filled, families returned the charts to the school’s Parent Coordinator for a pie or a pie gift certificate. Parents were encouraged to post the charts on their refrigerators to remind everyone at home of the additional benefits of attending school events—dessert. Middle and high school parents received tickets for monthly pie drawings each time they attended an activity. Some schools listed the winning families’ names in the Title I newsletter. More... Ninette S. Richardson, Parents as Learning Partners Coordinator (562) 997-8178 Type | District | District |
Regional WorkshopsWisconsin Department of Public Instruction Madison, Wisconsin After six years of very successful statewide conferences, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) transitioned to regional partnership workshops in eight different communities (four during the spring of 2000 and four during the spring of 2001). The goal of the regional workshops was to spread comprehensive family-school-community partnerships in schools statewide and to grow membership in the Wisconsin/National Network of Partnership Schools. More... Jane Grinde, Director (608) 266-9356 Type | State | State |
School Site VisitsLos Angeles Unified School District Local District F Los Angeles, California In an effort to continually strengthen the district’s school, family, community partnership programs, representatives from Parents as Learning Partners in the three school families in Los Angeles County conducted school site visits during the 1999-2000 school year. The 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. school site visits included focus groups of teachers, parents, students, Action Team members, Action Team chairs, the principal, support staff, and parent center staff. After the focus groups, the representatives reported findings to the Action Team, and followed up the discussion with a written report. More... Gina Rodriquez, School Family Facilitator (323) 224-3137 Type | District | District |
Teacher's Desk CalendarSchool District of Palm Beach County West Palm Beach, Florida The Family Action Network (FAN) in the School District of Palm Beach County provided over 7,000 teachers with desk calendars for the 2000-01 school year. The Teacher’s Desk Calendar included school holidays, important telephone numbers, and suggestions for involving families in their children’s education. Many of the suggestions helped teachers involve hard-to-reach parents by broadening the definition of involvement and by providing families with information and resources to be partners in education. More... Janice Hobbs, Project Manager (561) 881-3703 Type | District | District |
Wellness TeamsRush-Henrietta Central School District West Henrietta, New York Beginning in September 2000, each of the Rush-Henrietta Central School District’s five elementary schools began a wellness team consisting of the school nurse, teachers, parents, community members, and often the school psychologist or social worker. The team meets at least monthly to plan activities that will help build developmental assets in children. More... Kay Lyons, Director of Family Services (716) 359-7912 Type | District | District |