Spring, 2001, No. 10 National Network of Partnership Schools
North Carolina Plans Strong State Program in School, Family, and Community Partnerships
North Carolina joined the National Network in the fall of 2000, after the State Board of Education designated strong family, community, and business involvement as one of its five priorities. In January 2001, Susan Brown was named Involvement Specialist for the Department of Public Instruction and the Key Contact to the National Network. She will draw on her previous experiences with school, family, and community partnerships as the Director of Community Development for Community in Schools of North Carolina.
Working with Businesses
Working closely with others in the Department of Public Instruction, Ms. Brown is involved in a number of team efforts that will promote successful partnerships with the districts, schools, and community organizations in the state. She will continue the Department’s high level of involvement with the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) and North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry (NCCBI).
Gaining Principals’ Support
In February and March, she collaborated with the Principal Executive Program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. School, family, and community partnerships is a new and important focus for principals’ training. Ms. Brown introduced the concept of partnerships as a way to garner support from principals and district leaders to develop strong programs of school, family, and community partnerships in districts and schools throughout North Carolina. Ms. Brown also worked with the North Carolina Association of Community Educators to foster connections between partnership programs and community advocates.
Strengthening District and
School ProgramsMs. Brown will assist leaders in school districts that join the North Carolina and National Network to conduct training workshops for schools’ Action Teams for Partnerships. The district leaders will work with administrators, teachers, and other school and family representatives to help them plan, implement, and evaluate their programs of partnership.
“The National Network provides a way to organize programs that are essential to students’ success,” says Ms. Brown. She plans to work with other colleagues and organizations, such as the state’s chapter of the national PTA, to help schools and districts improve their partnership programs. Under Ms. Brown’s leadership and with the strong support of State Superintendent Dr. Michael E. Ward and Chairman of the State Board of Education Phillip J. Kirk, Jr., North Carolina aims to affirm the importance of partnerships and promote collaboration among schools, families, and communities.
For more information about North Carolina’s plans for school, family, and community partnerships, contact Susan Brown, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, at sbrown@dpi.state.nc.us or
(919) 807-3477.
