The National
Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins has
teamed up with schools across the country to share
innovative and effective ways to involve parents in
schools, help schools meet the needs of their families and
encourage communities to form partnerships with schools and
families.
Promising Partnership Practices 2008 offers
dozens of activities and projects that schools and
school districts across the country created and found
successful. It is the latest in an annual
collection of more than 100 creative and useful activities
for involving families and community
partners in schools.
"At a time when many educators feel pressure to focus
narrowly on test scores, this book is
designed to help schools, districts, states and
organizations take a broader view," said Joyce Epstein,
director of NNPS. "These are research-based, creative
approaches to mobilize family and community
support for education and to implement effective
partnership practices to increase student success."
The book draws on the work of 77 schools, 18
districts, five organizations and three state
departments of education that are members of the national
network across 24 states and one
Canadian province.
Ideas that can be easily adapted by others include a
Whistle Stop Tour by teachers from Maple
Elementary in Cambridge, Md., who went into neighborhoods
before school started to meet new
students and families and get reacquainted with others; a
Heart Healthy Lunch on Valentine's Day at
Buffalo (N.Y.) Public School #53, featuring a nutritious
lunch for students and parents and
opportunities for health screenings; and a Word of the Week
program at Skyline High School in Idaho
Falls, Idaho, that involved the whole community in helping
students build their vocabularies in
preparation for the SAT.
With academic and nonacademic goals, the practices run
the gamut of school, district and
statewide activities, such as family mathematics and
literacy nights, back-to-school events, college
and career fairs and fitness sessions. Each activity is
detailed in a one-page article that explains the
purpose of the practice; how it was implemented, publicized
and paid for; and how it was received and
evaluated. Many of the activities aim to increase adults'
involvement in schools and create a welcoming
school climate for families and community members. Others
address specific adult needs, such as
English language classes and employment assistance. Most
activities focus on specific goals for
student success, such as improving reading, math and
science skills, and behavior and postsecondary
planning. All are geared toward creating successful schools
and successful students.
Promising Partnership Practices 2008 is
available online at
www.partnershipschools.org in the
"Success Stories" section, with more than 700 practices
from previous publications. Copies of the
book are available for $18.95 by using the order form on
the Web site.
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