Mary Ann Bobosky, Director of Planning and Community Relations
Row 1: Jack Buller, Victoria Boomgarden, Dave Patton, Mark Pasztor, Maureen Dvorak, Karen Perry, Denise Mitchell, and Meda Peterson. Row 2: Ginny Ritchie, Ann Staats, Lenore Johnson, Janet Reed, Bessma Shammas, Pam Wilson, Gretchen Zelinski, Pat Larson, and Mary Ann Bobosky (NNPS Key Contact). Row 3: John Tableriou, Tim Costello, Sheila Verkamp, Sue Faber, Ed Schmidgall, and Don Weber (Superintendent).
Naperville, Illinois has been a district member of the National Network of Partnership Schools since the 1996-97 school year. Naperville is a relatively advantaged community, but even in this district there was serious resistance to informing and involving families in children's education. Over the past four years, district leaders have established strong district policies, programs, and activities on partnerships. All 20 schools (15 elementary, 3 middle/junior high, and 2 high schools) are part of the Naperville and National Networks of Partnership Schools and are continually improving their programs of partnership.
The district is facing challenges of changing demographics including more employed mothers and more diverse family structures. The schools are working to involve all families in productive ways. Naperville is meeting the National Network’s requirements to (1) develop district-level leadership, plans, and activities that serve all schools and the broad community, and (2) assist each individual elementary, middle, and high school to build its program of partnerships.
District leadership activities include developing policies on partnerships; conducting team training for schools; organizing business partners; helping schools share their best practices in district-wide annual collections; connecting with the Home and School Association; developing materials to guide schools’ in planning and implementing their programs; and collecting data to evaluate schools’ progress on partnerships. Naperville is taking many innovative steps toward improving partnerships, most recently with an activity called Happy Upbeat Recycled Retirees Activity Helping (HURRAH) an organized community volunteer activity.
Prior to the Partnership, parents were involved in a typical passive manner, other than those in the Home and School Association. The Partnership...involves parents and community in beneficial ways that promote 'educational excellence' through the many initiatives of the school district...There truly has developed a 'sense of community' about parent and community members becoming involved in our schools.
--Dr. Donald Weber, Superintendent of Schools, Naperville Community Unit School District 203