Fall, 2002, No. 13 National Network of Partnership Schools
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Maryland's Family Involvement Policy Moves Into Action in Schools Statewide
With strong backing from the State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick, Maryland adopted a state policy on family involvement in October 2001. According to Grasmick, "Making parents and families a true part of the educational process is a far more powerful education reform strategy than any other." In the 2002-03 school year, the policy is expected to serve as the cornerstone for schools statewide to develop effective programs of school, family, and community partnerships.
The policy encourages schools and local school systems to implement long-term, comprehensive programs using the six types of involvement to build on the strengths of families and communities as schools work to reach the goal of academic success for all children. The policy begins by recognizing that family involvement is integral to schools: "The State Board believes that schools must create an environment that is conducive to learning and supports strong comprehensive family involvement programs." The policy explains in simple terms the strategies that the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) will implement in order to lead the development of school, family, and community partnerships.
Disseminating the Policy
To ensure that the policy becomes known by the public, MSDE has launched a media campaign. Initially, MSDE sent a press release to the media announcing the policy. Then, they produced a poster and brochure to share the policy in easy-to-read formats. The poster hangs in the front halls of schools. The brochure has been widely distributed at public events and conferences. At the start of the 2002-03 school year, a flyer entitled "Education: A Family Affair" was widely disseminated to announce that Maryland adopted a family involvement policy. This new flyer began to bridge the policy on paper with the action steps that are expected of all stakeholders.
Implementing the Policy
A ten-member subcommittee of the state's Family Focus Council headed by Maria Shaeffer, MSDE's Key Contact to NNPS, has been working to expand the policy into action steps. This subcommittee is comprised of representatives from the state department of education, public libraries, state PTA, federal department of education, and non-profit organizations. Collaboratively the group has set goals based on the six types of involvement; developed strategies for all stakeholders to reach those goals; and compiled effective activities to support family and community involvement in all schools. The final product will be a user-friendly document disseminated through the PTA and the local school systems' family involvement coordinators. A training component based on the document's guidelines will support schools in structuring their partnership programs to align with the policy.
The evolution of policy to action steps has taken time, and should provide a sound foundation for statewide school, family, and community partnership program development for the 2002-03 school year and beyond.
By Natalie Rodgriguez Jansorn
State and District Facilitator
