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| Row 1: Carlos Chavez, Ruth Yoon (NNPS Key Contact), Evelyn Magaņa, Mayra Martinez, and Evelyn Wang. Row 2: Barry Peterson, Glory Okeke, Michelle Orozco, Marlene Montiel, Jose Cisneros, Mark Sullano, and Lucille Ignacio. |
Families In Schools (FIS), a five-time NNPS Partnership Organization Award winner, creates family involvement practices, seeks funding for them, and provides training and technical assistance to help districts and schools implement, evaluate, and strengthen their programs of school, family, and community partnerships. The organization has a strong reputation for high-quality professional development. FIS works with LAUSD local districts 2 and 4 in NNPS and with many other districts and schools as a federally-funded Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) for Los Angeles County. FIS systematizes its work with districts and schools by outlining FIS responsibilities and the responsibilities of its partners in explicit letters of agreement. It publicizes its services in articles in English and Spanish language media.
In the past year, FIS worked with Communities of Educational Equity to develop a publication, The Schools We Deserve, which promotes college prep courses for all students in Los Angeles. This included information and presentations for parents in English and Spanish on how to guide children to take a positive path through school to postsecondary education and training.
About a year ago, LAUSD reorganized the boundaries of Local Districts, increasing the number of schools in each one. This also increased FIS attention to its practices that can assist districts and schools with their comprehensive partnership programs. These include: Read with Me/Lea conmigo, Going On To College, and Blueprints for Living. In 2005, FIS designed and improved Ready for Kinder to increase preschool students' readiness for kindergarten and will test the effectiveness of this program next year. Another new program, Transition to Middle School, will help families and students move successfully from 5th to 6th grade by increasing understanding of student development and middle school organization.
FIS continued to expand the number of schools that implemented its tested program Read with Me/Lea conmigo, which helps families read aloud with young children in ways that increase students' positive attitudes about reading and early reading skills. Next year, FIS will conduct a conference on this program for educators to share effective implementation practices. The organization also will extend its professional development on Going On To College to help districts and schools increase college planning starting in the 9th grade.
FIS is very serious about evaluation, using multiple methods and tools to assess the effectiveness of programs and practices. The organization uses focus groups, interviews, staff retreats for reflective assessments, pre- and post- surveys, group discussions, the NNPS Measure of School, Family, and Community Partnerships, and other tools to chart progress on partnerships in districts and schools from year to year. In 2005, FIS studied 250 parent/child pairs in nine schools to learn how Going On To College activities affected their understanding and attitudes about education and postsecondary planning. Preliminary results indicate that the program helped 5th grade parents and students increase their beliefs that college is within their reach.
Also see Families In Schools' history of Partnership Organization Awards from 2001 to 2004 and examples of Promising Partnership Programs on the website, www.partnershipschools.org, in the section In the Spotlight. For more information on the organization, visit www.familiesinschools.org.