Fall, 2000 No. 9 National Network of Partnership Schools
The work of the National Network of Partnership Schools and its schools, districts, or states were cited in: Time, June 12, 2000; Education Week, September 13, 2000; Working Mother, September 2000; NEA Today, September, 2000, among others. If your school, district, or state is recognized in the news, let the Network know about this for the spring issue’s NNPS in the News.
Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS) Interactive Homework is featured in a new video from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). How to Make Homework More Meaningful by Involving Parents will be released in January 2001. It features science teachers from Pikesville (MD) Middle School who worked with NNPS to develop interactive homework assignments that match the school’s science units in grades 6-8. For information on the video, visit www.ascd.org and follow the links to the Online Store, or call 1-800-933-ASCD. For information on the Network’s TIPS manuals and prototype homework assignments, contact Kenyatta Williams, Network Coordinator, at 410-516-2318.
Focus on Results will Revisit Attendance
Each year, Focus on Results invites schools to explore how family and community involvement affects student outcomes of attendance, math achievement, behavior, or reading achievement. In 2000-2001, NNPS will again explore how partnerships affect student attendance. A larger sample of elementary, middle, and high schools is needed to learn specifically which involvement activities consistently improve attendance rates from one year to the next.
If your school is working to improve student attendance by involving families and community partners in specific ways, please join the next Focus on Results study when you receive the invitation and base-line survey in November 2000. Districts and states in the Network can help by encouraging schools to participate.
ATTENTION: Check the upper left hand corner of the front page of this newsletter. If you see a label reminding you about UPDATE, please return it now to renew membership in the National Network of Partnership Schools for 2000-01. If we do not receive UPDATE by Nov. 30, your school or district’s membership will be cancelled, and you will not receive future issues of Type 2, Promising Partnership Practices, and other tools and information. UPDATE is the only required communication with the Network. If you have questions, contact Kenyatta Williams at 410-516-2318 or
kwilliams@csos.jhu.edu.To celebrate the new school year, NNPS redesigned its logo, selected a user-friendly web site address, and improved Type 2’s format. An improved logo for NNPS members’ use is available (see below). Please contact Karen Salinas at 410-516-8818 or ksalinas@csos.jhu.edu if you would like a copy e-mailed or mailed on disk.
2000:
November: Invitation to members to join the cross-site study, Focus on Results 2000-01: School-Family-Community Partnerships to Improve Attendance. Initial data collection.
2001:
January: Invitation to school, district, and state members to contribute to the Network’s collection of Promising Partnership Practices 2001.
January: Invitation to school, district, and state members to apply for the Network’s Partnership Awards 2000-01 for excellence and permanence.
March: Spring issue of Type 2.
March 8-9: Leadership Training Workshop at Johns Hopkins University for new members who want initial training to prepare for the 2001-02 school year.
March 10: Workshop at Johns Hopkins University for members to develop and implement Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS) Interactive Homework for the 2001-02 school year.
April 2: Members who joined the Network by 12/00 will receive 2001 UPDATE in the mail. Due May 15 to renew Network membership for the 2001-02 school year.
May 15: 2001 UPDATE must be returned to the National Network to renew membership for the 2001-02 school year.
May 31: Promising partnership practices from members due for the 2001 collection.
May 31: Applications due for Partnership School Awards, Partnership District Awards, and Partnership State Awards for the 2000-01 school year.
