Fall, 2001, No. 11 National Network of Partnership Schools
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New National Network Fees Link Participation, Progress, and Networking
Partnership Awards in 2001 Recognize Excellent Programs
New National Network Fees Link Participation, Progress, and Networking
The National Network of Partnership Schools has grown steadily for five years to include over 1500 schools, 150 school districts, 19 state departments of education, and 60 organization/university partners. More and more, educators understand the importance of family and community involvement for helping students reach school improvement goals.
NNPS is committed to helping schools, districts, and states improve their programs of school, family, and community partnerships to increase student success. To continue to meet the needs of the large, diverse, and growing membership of the network, NNPS will initiate membership and workshop fees beginning January 2002.
New Member Fees. Schools, districts, states, and organizations that join NNPS after January 1, 2002 will be required to pay a processing fee of $100 per school or $200 per district, state, or organization. Schools, districts, states, and organizations that presently are NNPS members will not be required to pay a processing fee.
Renewing Membership. All NNPS members may renew membership for the next school year (a) by returning UPDATE by June 30 each year, thereby waiving payment of an annual fee OR (b) by paying an annual membership fee of $100 per school or $200 per district, state, and organization.
Annual UPDATE data are essential to NNPS to provide its members with the best new research and research-based tools and materials. As Joyce Epstein, Director of NNPS, noted, “Good networking should be rewarded every year. NNPS will waive the annual fees and renew membership for all schools, districts, states, and organizations that return UPDATE by June 30 each year.” The policy reinforces NNPS’ belief that researchers and educators must work together to produce effective research-based approaches for improving school, family, and community partnerships.
Workshop Fees. Beginning with the March 8-9, 2002 Leadership Development Workshop in Baltimore, NNPS will charge a registration fee. The rate for NNPS members will be $100 per person per day.
NNPS is expanding its services so that new and on-going members may attend the spring and/or fall Leadership Development Workshops. The newly-designed workshops will include introductory sessions for members starting to develop their programs, and advanced topics for experienced members working to improve the quality and results of their partnership programs.
NNPS sought input from long-standing district and state members on appropriate fees. All agreed that the fees will support useful services and help all schools, districts, states, and organizations work seriously to continually improve their programs of family and community involvement.
Partnership Awards in 2001 Recognize Excellent Programs
The National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University presented Partnership Awards for the 2000-2001 school year to 8 schools, 3 districts, 1 organization, and 1 state department of education. The sites located in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Utah, and Wisconsin are recognized for excellence in developing and sustaining comprehensive programs of school, family, and community partnerships. (Click to visit online announcement of Partnership Award Recipients)
Winners received school banners or plaques and were cited in Education Week (9-12-01). The following states, districts, and schools received Partnership Awards for 2001:
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Jane Grinde and Ruth Anne Landsverk, Coordinators
Partnership District and Organization Awards
Local School District B, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Charlotte Castagnola, Facilitator, Parent Activities; Judy I. Burton, Local Superintendent; with Families In Schools (Partnership Organization Award), Ruth M. Yoon, Executive Director
Local School District F, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Richard Alonzo, Local Superintendent
Naperville Community Unit School District 203, Naperville, IL, Mary Ann Bobosky, Director of Planning and Community Relations; Donald E. Weber, Superintendent
Partnership School Awards
Baltimore City Detention Center School #370, Baltimore, MD,Arthur Harris, Action Team Chair; Dawn Downing, Principal (Baltimore City Public Schools)
Colerain High School, Cincinnati, OH, Maureen Heintz, Principal (Northwest School District)
Cottonwood Elementary School, Cincinnati, OH, Laura Barrett and Betsy Tenbosch, Co-chairs; Gregg Tracy, Principal (Finneytown School District)
Highlands Elementary School, Naperville, IL, Jane Wernette, Action Team Chair, Susan Stuckey, Principal (Naperville Community Unit School District 203)
Kennedy Junior High School, Naperville, IL, Maureen Dvorak, Action Team Chair; Don Perry, Principal (Naperville Community Unit School District 203)
Magnet Middle School, Stamford, CT, Linda Fine, Action Team Chair; Howard Jennings, Principal (Stamford School District)
Mount Logan Middle School, Logan UT, Dan N. Johnson, Principal (Logan School District)
Westlake Elementary School, New Carlisle, OH, William H. Gruber, II, Action Team Chair, Jeff Broyles, Liaison to Building Leadership Team; Denny Dyer, Principal (Tecumseh School District)
Criteria for Awards
Each recipient submitted an application that was reviewed by five readers for the strength of evidence of the following essential elements of excellent programs of school, family, and community partnerships: teamwork, leadership, plans for action, implementation, evaluation, internal and external support, and networking.
Joyce Epstein, NNPS director, noted, “The award winners are sustaining and improving partnership programs over time, even when there has been a change in principals, district or state superintendents, and other leaders.”
The NNPS Partnership Award criteria and application process should guide other schools, districts, and states in planning and conducting their partnership programs over time. Visit Partnership Award Criteria. Meet the award winners on pages 6-7 of this issue of Type 2, and read about their work on the NNPS website by following the links to Partnership Award Winners. Applications for the 2002 awards will be issued in February.
