National Network of Partnership Schools
Johns Hopkins university
partnership award winners – 2004
WEBSITE
SUMMARIES
2004 Partnership STATE AWARD
California Department of education
Carol Dickson, Program Consultant; Jack O’Connell, State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
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| Row 1: Gloria Guzman-Walker, Frank Uribe, Carmen Delgado-Contreras, Carol Lee Tolbert, John Wedemeyer, Jeana Preston, Anita Royston, Richard Braun, Gini Natali, and Myra Young. Row 2: Anne Just, Geno Flores, Carol Dickson (NNPS Key Contact), Jack O'Connell (State Superintendent), and Howie DeLane (NNPS Key Contact). |
The California
Department of Education has been a partner in the National Network of
Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University since 1998. It was one of the first states to enact a
comprehensive policy on family and community involvement. The quality of California’s leadership on
family and community involvement has been strengthened over the past few years
through innovative and important leadership and collaborative activities with
other organizations in the state.
Leadership on
partnerships is anchored in the Title I Policy and Partnerships (TIPP) Office
in the School and District Accountability Division of the Assessment and
Accountability Branch. CDE leaders are
helping others see that family and community involvement “weaves through” more
than twenty state programs for school improvement, including Title I, homeless
education, migrant education, gifted and talented education, Safe and Drug Free
Schools, and more.
Among many
activities, CDE leaders organized a statewide Family Area Network (FAN) as an
advisory group on school, family, and community partnerships. The FAN Board, which meets six times a year,
includes representatives from every region of the state, urban and rural
districts, adult education, early childhood education, higher education, and
Parent Information Resource Centers (PIRCs).
FAN helps CDE focus its family and community involvement actions to
create welcoming schools and to increase student achievement and success in all
districts and schools.
CDE is collaborating
with the California Parent Center at San Diego State University, California
State PTA, California Association of Compensatory Education (CACE), Southern
California Comprehensive Assistance Center (SCCAC), California Association of
Bilingual Education (CABE), and others to offer training workshops to help
district leaders and schools’ Action Teams for Partnerships develop their
partnership programs and meet requirements for family involvement in the
No Child Left Behind Act (Section
1118). Four workshops were conducted in
2004 and more are scheduled in the 2004-05 school year. The state and its partners are expanding a
California Network of Partnership Schools (CNPS) linked to NNPS. CDE leaders conduct many collaborative activities (e.g., conferences,
symposia, and presentations) with these and other organizations and
associations.
CDE is using various
planning and evaluation tools, such as the NNPS Handbook, State Leadership Checklist, and UPDATE survey, and the CDE State Leadership Plans to develop,
assess, and improve the quality and progress of its partnership program. Looking ahead, the TIPP Office plans to
improve communications within and between state offices and, via a listserve,
to increase communications on family and community involvement activities
across the state. The leaders also are
developing state standards for
district and school programs of school, family, and community
partnerships. California is
demonstrating how a very large state with many districts and schools can
organize important and exciting statewide leadership to advance knowledge,
skills, and programs of family and community involvement.
ABOUT NNPS: What California’s Leaders Say to Other States .
. .
NNPS provides a research base and a national leadership
infrastructure.The program … offers
supporting materials – you don’t have to reinvent everything to assist schools
and districts.NNPS UPDATE survey provides a process for evaluating
your SEA’s program of school, family, and community partnerships.NNPS encourages reflection and keeps your
SEA honest about its progress on partnerships.
To learn more about CDE’s work on partnerships, visit www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/pf/