Each year, the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) at Johns Hopkins University recognizes members who have developed and sustained excellent programs of school, family, and community partnerships for at least two years. For 2005, six schools, four districts, four organizations, and three state departments of education won NNPS Partnership Awards. The winners, from diverse communities in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, provided evidence of comprehensive, goal-oriented programs of school, family, and community partnerships. They documented "essential elements" that, according to several NNPS research studies, help improve program quality over time: teamwork, leadership, plans for action, implementation, collegial support, evaluation, and networking. The winners received a free registration to an NNPS conference, an engraved plaque, and recognition on the NNPS web site. Ten programs also received Special Recognition with a cash prize of $500.
Many family and community involvement activities focused on achievement and other student outcomes. Most schools conducted reading, math, writing, science, study skills, and/or spelling nights for parents and students to enjoy fun activities and to inform parents about the curriculum and assessments.
Several innovative activities focused on family involvement in reading and writing. Teachers at Grant Elementary School in Wausau, WI, assigned monthly schoolwide homework activities for students to discuss with a parent. An assignment about the spring season resulted in student books of poems and artwork that were shared in all classrooms.
Highlands Elementary School in Naperville, IL, invited community firefighters to read aloud with first graders and involved parents with third, fourth, and fifth graders in a book club to read and discuss the work of a visiting author.
Orchard Hills School in Milford, CT, involved families and the community with students in a book club, summer reading program, and Readapalooza-a week-long event with students writing and sharing books, dressing as favorite literary characters, and meeting authors.
Roberts Elementary School in Wayne, PA, celebrated students' writing at Authors' Night, with over 280 students and at least one parent from each family attending.
Webster Stanley Elementary School in Oshkosh, WI, collaborated with the local newspaper to fund a school newspaper, written by students and distributed to families and the community.
The award-winning schools also conducted various involvement activities in math, science, behavior, charitable giving, and career preparation. For example, Roosevelt Elementary School in St. Paul, MN, focused on science at the Oops-Turn Me Off! family night, with demonstrations explaining electricity and promoting energy conservation.
All district award winners organized their leadership and collaborated with other departments. The district leaders actively assisted schools' ATPs to develop goal-oriented partnership programs. They also took program evaluation seriously and monitored parent involvement requirements in No Child Left Behind (NCLB). For example, Local District 4 of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) studied why parents did not sign students up for supplemental services supported by NCLB, and why students, once enrolled, did not attend. Preliminary conclusions suggest that parents need more timely and personal attention about the enrollment process.
The award-winning districts conducted various activities to help schools strengthen their partnership programs. Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota trained volunteers to record reading skills (such as phonemic awareness, letter identification, and knowledge of the printed word) for 2,800 kindergartners, saving teachers a great deal of time.
Cleveland Municipal School District guided over 100 schools to include at least two literacy involvement activities and other strategies in their One-Year Action Plans for Partnerships to improve student achievement and other outcomes. The district also recognized the academic achievement of 137 students at a celebration dinner with their families.
Local District 4 in LAUSD targeted 24 schools in need of improvement to help parents of students in second, sixth, and ninth grades sharpen their expectations and gather ideas on how to help students at home in math and reading. The district continued working with Families In Schools to assist schools with implementing Read with Me/Lea conmigo, which guides parents of young children to encourage emerging literacy skills.
Naperville Community Unit School District 203 in Illinois enhanced its computerized Knowledge Bank of family and community involvement activities in all 21 schools. Included in the Knowledge Bank are ideas for engaging parents with students on academic and nonacademic goals. The district also publishes an annual collection of partnership practices for schools to share activities.
Organizations in NNPS have diverse agendas, but all four award winners provided training to help districts and/or schools develop partnership programs linked to NNPS. Some helped schools share best practices and evaluate their programs with NNPS End-of-Year Evaluations, UPDATE surveys, and other tools. Each organization also implemented unique strategies to connect schools, families, and the community. The California PARENT Center (CPC) at the June Burnett Institute of San Diego State University worked with the California Department of Education and others on eleven regional training workshops to prepare districts and schools to conduct comprehensive partnership programs. CPC also created a California network linked to NNPS.
Families In Schools in Los Angeles helped students and families focus on college planning. In 2005, the organization studied 250 parent-child pairs to learn how attitudes and actions were affected by its GOT College! program.
Literacy, Inc. in New York developed ways for community partners to support primary grade students' reading skills and experiences through reading partners and literacy events. Their work helped schools link Type 6-Collaborating with the Community activities to school goals for improving reading.
Strategic Learning Initiatives (SLI) in Chicago partnered with local schools to offer parent workshops based on responses to a parent survey. SLI provided 75% of the funding, trained parent facilitators, and evaluated the workshops.
Most states have policies to involve families and communities to increase student success. The NNPS award winners collaborated with many departments and organizations and conducted conferences, presentations, and workshops to help districts and schools fulfill the state policy. Each state also reported unique strategies for leadership on partnerships.
California Department of Education (CDE) worked with the California PARENT Center to provide team training workshops on partnership program development for districts and schools across the state. CDE also organized a statewide advisory group, the Family Area Network (FAN), which developed standards for programs of family and community involvement to apply the six types of involvement to fulfill the state's policy on partnerships.
Connecticut State Department of Education initiated a pilot project with three districts to learn how other districts could lead all schools to develop effective partnerships. This state's leaders improve their partnership programs each year at an intense retreat where they review their work, reflect, and plan future initiatives.
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction leaders explored structural designs for VISTA personnel to help schools' ATPs improve their programs. They also examined how 21st Century Schools may unify in-school and after-school plans and activities for parent involvement.
Every school, district, organization, and state department of education can implement research-based structures and processes for excellent partnership programs. Read the full stories behind the 2005 award-winning programs at www.partnershipschools.org by clicking on In the Spotlight. For more information about the research-based NNPS model that links student success and school, family, and community partnerships, visit www.partnershipschools.org or e-mail nnps@csos.jhu.edu. Let's work together for student success!
Full Profiles of 2005 Partnership Award Winners
Orchard Hills School
Readapalooza
from Promising Partnership Practices 2005 (.pdf)
Roosevelt Elementary School
"Oops--Turn Me Off!" Science Family Night from Promising Partnership Practices 2005 (.pdf)
Anoka-Hennepin School District
Kindergarten Data Collection by Volunteers Project
from Promising Partnership Practices 2005 (.pdf)
LAUSD, Local District 4 & Families In Schools
Read with Me/Lea Conmigo from Promising
Partnership Practices 2003 (.pdf)
Going on to College! from Promising
Partnership Practices 2004 (.pdf)
Family College Conferences from Promising
Partnership Practices 2005 (.pdf)
Literacy, Inc.
Partner Breakfasts
from Promising Partnership Practices 2005 (.pdf)
Strategic Learning Initiatives
Pilsen Education Network: Parent Engagement Program from Promising Partnership Practices 2005 (.pdf)