Fall, 1998 No. 5 National Network of Partnership Schools
Districts Recommend Excellent Schools
Wisconsin Schools Develop Programs and Practices with State Support
West Virginia Title I Schools Produce Video on Partnerships
Districts Recommend Excellent Schools
District members of the National Network of Partnership Schools were asked in the ‘98 UPDATE to recommend school members that have developed outstanding programs of school, family, and community partnerships. The following schools were recommended by their districts:Chapelle Elementary School, School District of Ypsilanti, MI
Curundu Elementary School, DoDDS - Cuba/Panama Region
Elmwood Elementary School, Naperville Community School District 203, IL
Fairsite Elementary School and River Oaks
Elementary School,
Galt Elementary School District, CA
Father Keith B. Kenny Elementary School and Will C. Wood Middle School, Sacramento City Unified Schools, CA
Haviland Elementary School, Waterford School District, MI
Early Childhood Center and Bluff Creek Elementary School, District 112, Chaska, MN
Bessie Hoffman Elementary School, Lincoln Consolidated Schools, Ypsilanti, MI
Wisconsin Schools Develop Programs and Practices with State Support
Schools in Wisconsin in the National Network of Partnership Schools are supported by state grants, training, and on-going assistance. Many schools have developed exciting activities including:
Programs that welcome parents by speaking and writing in the languages they understand best;
Packs of school supplies for families who cannot afford them for their children;
Children’s "dressers" to recycle clothing and to provide clothing in emergencies;
Parent surveys, parent handbooks, parenting classes, and school-based family centers;
Parent-student-teacher journals, parent-student-teacher compacts, and videotaped school events for community cable TV;
Mentors, study buddies, and adopted grandparents for children who need them;
Family Fun Nights, Family Math and Science Nights, Family Read-Ins, Back-to-School Ice Cream Socials, and Family Math Chili Feeds to help parents get to know their school, one another, and what their children are learning;
"Families and Communities Together" Suppers and Community Forums to decide together how to solve space needs and budget crunches;
Buttons proclaiming that each student is an "Absolutely Incredible Kid"—the best reason for doing partnerships in the first place!
Reported by Jane Grinde and Ruth Anne Landsverk, Key Contacts to the Network. See State Line on Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
West Virginia Title I Schools Produce Video on Partnerships
Eight vignettes on partnerships and their challenges are included in a videotape produced by Partnerships with Parents, a project conducted by six Title I rural elementary schools in West Virginia. Lynn Sobolov, a Key Contact to the National Network from Monongalia County, describes the project's four goals: increase awareness of the value of partnerships; identify effective parent-teacher collaborations; help schools plan for partnerships; and increase communication about partnerships.
To develop the project, the school district reached out to the National Network of Partnership Schools for a nationally-recognized, research-based approach to school, family, and community partnerships. They also worked with WNPB-TV and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at West Virginia University. Teams of Title I and other classroom teachers, parents, administrators, and pre-service teachers worked together to discuss their ideas, goals, and concerns about comprehensive partnership programs.
The videotape covers the six types of involvement in the Network's framework, along with topics of "differences" and "rumors." Project evaluations indicate that the video is informative and stimulates discussions about partnerships. The participating schools reported an increase in the quality and the quantity of home-school communications.
Partnerships with Parents videotapes may be ordered by contacting Lynn Sobolov at Monongalia County Schools, 13 S. High St., Morgantown WV 26501 (304)291-9210 X 549 FAX (304)291-3015, e-mail lsobolov@access.mountain.net
The cost is $25.00 payable by check to Monongalia County Schools, and includes shipping and handling.
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