Mary Ann Bobosky, Director of Planning and Community Relations
Row 1: Jane Wernette, Ann Staats, Don Weber (Superintendent), Grethchen Zelinski (Co-Chair), Sheila Verkamp (Co-Chair), Lenore Johnson, and Sue Faber. Row 2: Bessma Shammas, Sally Pentecost, Joyce Speer, Nina Menis, Jack Buller, Mark Pasztor, Meda Peterson, Maureen Dvorak, Denise Mitchell, Pat Larson, Janet Reed, and Mary Ann Bobosky (NNPS Key Contact).
Naperville, Illinois has been a district member of the National Network of Partnership Schools since the 1996-97 school year. For five years, the leaders have developed strong district policies, programs, and activities on partnerships. In particular, the district created a “Core Team” of educators, parents, and school board members to lead the district’s efforts. This “leadership team for partnerships” is fulfilling the National Network’s directives for districts 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.
Naperville is a relatively advantaged community, but even here there were serious challenges to informing and involving all families in their children’s education, especially at the middle and high school levels. Now, 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 building their programs of partnership. This year two of Naperville’s schools – an elementary school and a high school earned Partnership School Awards. There remain challenges in reaching all families as the district now includes more employed mothers and more diverse family structures than ever before.
District leadership activities include 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 helping schools evaluate their partnership programs. The leaders note that each year, as schools’ programs of partnership improve, parents have become increasingly positive about their attitudes and ratings of school programs and about the involvement of families.
The materials available from the National Network are well-written and useful for parents and for educators. The Network recognizes that each school district has its own culture, and is flexible when giving advice on how to structure parent involvement programs. . . The staff of the Network is extremely helpful when questions arise around challenging situations. . . .
--Mary Ann Bobosky, Naperville Community Unit School District 203
There has developed a “sense of community” about parent and community members becoming involved in our schools. The Partnership (program) has helped parents and community in beneficial ways that promote educational excellence throughout the many initiatives of the school district.
-- Don Weber, Superintendent of Naperville Community School Unit