Published
Version to Share With Colleagues: 
Emphasis on Sustainability of Programs Marks
NNPS's 10th Anniversary Year
With its mission of “Working Together for Student Success,” the
National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) at Johns Hopkins University
is celebrating its 10th anniversary as an active professional development
organization. After years of basic research and field studies, NNPS
was established in 1996 to guide schools, districts, state departments
of education, and organizations in using research-based approaches
to strengthen school, family, and community partnership programs that
contribute to student learning and development.
Web Conferences Scheduled for Action Teams for Partnerships
NNPS will conduct "Writing Goal-Oriented Action Plans," a web conference for school-based Action Teams for Partnerships (ATPs), on March 15, 2006, from 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST. ATPs in the "Getting Started" phase of developing their partnership programs may register for the web conference. Topics will include: how to write a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships for the 2006-07 school year, how to strengthen the ATP, and how to develop a more successful partnership program.
Issues
and Insights—Interview: State Leaders Discuss How They Sustained
Partnership Programs for 10+ Years
Just about every state has a policy or recommendations for improving
programs of school, family, and community partnerships, but not every
state has assigned a full-time (or equivalent) leader to become an
expert, point-person, and resource for promoting the state’s
agenda and goals for partnerships. What happens if state leaders become
experts on partnerships and are supported by the state superintendent
and other colleagues for many years?
Meeting
the Challenge—Sustaining Your School's Partnership Program
Developing and maintaining a strong partnership program means
working hard to implement targeted, well-designed involvement activities
that engage and connect with a wide range of families. Sustaining these
activities from one year to the next, however, can be difficult. Over
its 10 years, NNPS research and interactions with members have revealed
that factors such as changes in principals, changes in members of Action
Teams for Partnerships (ATPs), and changes in district personnel or
priorities can all undermine efforts to create long-lasting programs
of school, family, and community partnerships.
Research
Brief—2005 UPDATE Data from Schools and Districts in NNPS Show
Progress in Partnership Program Development
School and district data from 2005
UPDATE were summarized in two separate reports by NNPS researchers Kenyatta Williams, Steven Sheldon, and Joyce Epstein. These reports should enable members to compare their work and progress on partnerships with patterns of program development from schools and districts across the country.
Leadership
Line—District Support Increases the Effectiveness of Volunteer
Programs
Volunteers
can add that extra ingredient to spice up a partnership program while
positively impacting student achievement. In order to ensure that volunteer
programs have desired effects, schools often need guidance and support.
Districts are in a unique position to provide leadership to facilitate
excellent volunteer programs.
Workshop
to Increase Partnerships with Families in the Military
NNPS conducted a new workshop, “Ensuring Successful Transitions
for Highly Mobile Students and Families,” with district leaders
and school teams in the Davis County School District in
Utah (which serves families from the Hillside Air Force Base) and the Virginia
Beach City Public Schools (which serves families from the Navy’s
Oceana, Norfolk, and other bases). The workshop, part of the Technical
Assistance component of the Military Child Initiative (MCI) project
at NNPS, is designed to help schools’ Action Teams for Partnerships
(ATPs) welcome highly mobile families and involve them in ways that
contribute to student success.
Research Brief—Latino Students
Take Different Paths in Learning Math from Kindergarten to Grade 3
The
U.S. is experiencing rapid growth of its Hispanic population, with
an overrepresentation of families living in poverty. Many Hispanic
students are at a high risk of failure in school, with skills that
often lag behind those of other racial and ethnic groups. These problematic
gaps in learning have been associated with later social and economic
inequalities.
Middle and High School Report—Family
Involvement Provides Academic Support for Students in Middle
Grades
The middle grades present students with increasing academic
challenges. At the same time, students receive less outside help at
home. As their schoolwork increases in difficulty, studies show that
it often proves too challenging for their parents and others who might
have provided assistance in the past.1 Each year, the overwhelming
majority of academic activities in the NNPS collection of Promising
Partnership Practices involve the elementary grades only. But
some middle grade schools have taken extra steps to ensure that students
receive outside help and parents are guided to support their children’s
academic activities.
Elementary School
Report—Family
Nights Make Learning Fun
Looking for ways to boost students’ excitement about learning,
involve more parents in their children’s education, and engage
community partners to support school goals? Many elementary schools
conduct Family Nights to address these aims, inviting students and
their parents into the school for an evening with the teachers. Family
Nights may focus on reading, math, science, character development,
or other school improvement goals. Parents and children may participate
in hands-on learning activities, learn strategies for success in school,
and interact with teachers, other parents, and students. Many schools
in NNPS conduct successful Family Nights and have reported several
key features.
New Editor Joins NNPS Staff
NNPS welcomes Joseph Brownstein as editorial coordinator. Joseph
is the new editor of Type 2 and will co-author and co-edit the annual
collection of Promising Partnership Practices. He also assists NNPS
by designing, writing, and guiding various brochures and communications,
and is leading the redesign and development of the NNPS website.
At the end of the year, we recognized the excellent contributions of
former NNPS Communications Director Karen Clark Salinas. Karen served
as editor of Type 2 and Promising Partnership Practices, and played
important roles in establishing and improving NNPS for many years.
We wish her the best of luck in her new position at Johns Hopkins University.