Spring, 2000 No. 8 National Network of Partnership Schools
District Facilitators Build the Capacity of School Action Teams for Partnerships
Mavis G. Sanders, Assistant Director
UPDATE data from schools in the National Network of Partnership Schools have consistently shown that one of the key ingredients for an excellent program of school, family, and community partnership is a well-functioning Action Team. This is true for elementary, middle, and high schools, urban and rural schools, and large and small schools. Schools that join the National Network with their district/area/cluster are fortunate to have a Facilitator for School, Family, and Community Partnerships who provides training and on-going facilitation to ensure that school-based Action Teams have the necessary skills and information to implement comprehensive programs of partnership that improve each year.
At the National Network’s State and District Leadership Meeting in November 1999, district key contacts discussed how they build the capacity of their schools’ Action Teams for Partnership (ATPs) through training and on-going facilitation. Most district key contacts to the Network indicated that they conducted Action Team training workshops either alone or with a district team. NOTE: Agendas, descriptions, and handouts for team-training workshops are in Chapter 3 of the Network’s manual, School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action. A revised one-day workshop agenda can be requested from the Network or found on the Network’s web site at www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000. Click on "Partnership Program" and follow the link to "Planning and Evaluation."
Team Development Topics
Essential topics that should be covered in an Action Team training workshop are (a) the framework for six types of involvement; (b) challenges to the six types of involvement; (c) linking partnership practices to results; (d) Action Team functions and structures; and (e) completing a One-Year Action Plan for partnerships.
In addition to conducting training workshops, many district/area/cluster leaders also reported that they conduct workshops on special topics related to partnerships, such as developing interactive homework and involving fathers in their children’s learning. These additional workshops complement the "basic training" provided to school ATPs, and further increase the quality of the school’s partnership program from year to year.
On-going Guidance
District-level Facilitators for Partnerships also are responsible for providing on-going assistance to school Action Teams. Facilitators help ATPs (a) complete activities outlined in their One-Year Action Plans for partnerships; (b) communicate with their school community; (c) identify funding sources for partnership activities; (d) conduct evaluations of their partnership programs and activities; (e) replace members at the end of the school year; and (f) write One-Year Action Plans for partnerships for the new school year. (See What Do Facilitators Do?, p. 146 in the Handbook.)
When district/area/cluster Facilitators for Partnerships provide school ATPs with training and on-going facilitation, they implement a unique aspect of the National Network’s approach to partnership program development. They provide direct assistance that builds the capacity of each school to work with its families and communities to promote students' academic success. If you are a district-level key contact to the National Network and have not yet begun to build the capacity of your schools' ATPs through training and on-going facilitation, what better time to start than the new millennium!
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