NNPS announces new applications for its annual Partnership Awards, starting in 2007. The applications for schools, districts, states, and organizations continue to be research-based and require evidence of outstanding practice, but the format is friendlier so that more qualified programs may apply.
"In the past," explained Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director, "NNPS recognized a few excellent programs each year,1 but there are many more that deserve national attention. Interviews with members revealed that some were pressed for time at the end of the school year, and were unable to meet the awards deadline because of the length of the application. The new applications aim for a better balance between NNPS's interest in good evidence and the time members need to participate."
The new award applications are linked to the questionnaires for the annual collection of Promising Partnership Practices. All NNPS members may submit their best practices for review for publication. By contrast, only members who worked with NNPS for two years or more may apply for a Partnership Award. Under the new system, applicants for awards will supplement their submission for Promising Partnership Practices by adding targeted information on their full programs of school, family, and community partnerships.
SCHOOL AWARDS. At the school level, applicants will describe and demonstrate how they are using NNPS approaches to meet important challenges to involve more families and to produce positive results for student success in school.
DISTRICT AWARDS. At the district level, applicants will describe and demonstrate their leadership for partnerships and how they are using NNPS approaches to directly assist individual schools’ Action Teams for Partnerships to improve their school-based partnership programs.
STATE AWARDS. At the state level, applicants will describe and demonstrate their leadership for partnerships and how they inform, encourage, and support districts and schools to use NNPS approaches in developing programs of family and community involvement.
ORGANIZATION AWARDS. Organizations will select either the district or state application to describe and demonstrate their work. In NNPS, organizations tend to work “like a district” or “like a state” in assisting individual schools or encouraging many districts to develop their partnership programs.
NNPS Partnership Awards will continue to present Special Recognition prizes of $500 to up to ten outstanding programs each year. Past award winners have been recognized in national education journals and local newspapers. Many have presented their work at NNPS and other conferences to help others strengthen their partnership programs.
Steve Sheldon, NNPS Research Director, noted, “NNPS Awards are unique in honoring programs that use research-based structures and processes, and that demonstrate sustainability. We hope that many members of NNPS will apply for Partnership Awards to celebrate their excellent work on family and community involvement.”
1Visit the NNPS 2006 Partnership Award Winners or past award winners and read summaries of their excellent programs on the NNPS website, www.partnershipschools.org in the section Success Stories.