School Family and Community Partnerships A Key Connection

School, Family and Community Partnerships – A Key Connection for Excellence! School Transformation Facilitator (STF) Institute Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore June 29, 2012 Presenter Brenda G. Thomas, Senior Program Facilitator 20

Warm Up What do you know about NNPS? Find School Transformation Facilitators who can sign-off on the NNPS phrases. Have them to write their name on the line for that phrase. Get as many different names as you can. When you have a name beside each phrase, return to your seat. Write one sentence that tells something about NNPS based on each phrase.

Warm Up What do you know about NNPS? 1. NNPS uses an Action Team approach to increasing family and community involvement. 2. NNPS = National Network of Partnership Schools ATP = Action Team for Partnerships 3. NNPS identifies family and community involvement using Six Types of involvement: Parenting, Communicating, Volunteering, Learning at Home, Decision Making, and Collaborating with the Community. 4. When partnership practices are carefully linked to school goals, they involve families in ways that directly assist students’ learning and success. 5. NNPS’ research says that partnership programs can increase student achievement, attendance, improve behavior, and promote better social skills.

SESSION OBJECTIVES By the end of this session, the participants will … Ø Gain a better understanding of the NNPS model. Ø Identify things you can do to support your schools’ NNPS family involvement efforts. Ø Identify the three days of NNPS technical assistance your schools will receive during the 2012 -13 school year. 20

The NNPS Model 20

What does NNPS expect of schools? Components of the NNPS Model q Establish an Action Team for Partnerships. q Write an annual Action Plan for Partnerships linked to the School Improvement Plan. q Use the Framework of Six Types of Involvement. q Evaluate and improve the partnership program each year. 20

Things YOU can do to support your school’s NNPS efforts q Encourage the Family Involvement Team(FIT)/ Action Team for Partnerships Team (ATP) to meet monthly. q Stay informed of the FIT/ATP plans for increasing family involvement q Support the FIT/ATP through attending activities and/or assisting with plan development q Insure that regular communications from NNPS are shared with the FIT/ATP (conference information, newsletters, etc…) q Share and celebrate the good work of your FIT/ATP with NNPS and TDS

Things YOU can do to support your school’s NNPS efforts (continued) q In your collaborations with other school partners make a standing time to provide an update of your FIT/ATP team’s work (i. e. City Year, Communities In Schools, School Improvement Team, etc…) q Encourage your FIT/ATP team to include other staff and collaborators in their activities q Find ways to sustain and improve your school’s partnership program q Assist the FIT/ATP team with completing the UPDATE Survey each year to renew the school’s NNPS membership

New NNPS Sites Three Days of Technical Assistance You have 3 days of support from NNPS as part of your grant. Day 1 Assessment and Awareness – An NNPS Facilitator will assess current family involvement strengths/challenges and provide information about the NNPS model and support. Day 2 FIT/ATP Training – An NNPS Facilitator will conduct a one-day FIT/ATP team training. Your team will draft a one year Action Plan for Partnerships. Day 3 Follow-Up ATP Training – An NNPS Facilitator will conduct a follow–up meeting with your team to assess team status, share success stories, discuss and solve challenges, and evaluate your partnership work to-date.

Returning NNPS Sites Three Days of Technical Assistance For Year 2 and following: Day 1 Follow-Up ATP Training – An NNPS Facilitator will conduct a follow–up meeting with your team to assess team status, share success stories, discuss and solve challenges, and evaluate your partnership work to-date. Day 2 – Address any additional challenges and identify advanced topic sessions that will be helpful to the FIT/ATP team and STF. Day 3 – Evaluation and NNPS membership renewal.

Q&A What questions do you have about. . . using NNPS (a research-based approach to strengthen programs of school, family, and community partnerships)? . . . how YOUR School can work with NNPS to improve your partnership program? Other questions?

Next Steps for Getting Started with NNPS q New NNPS Sites - Complete the membership form with the help of your principal. q Work with your principal to recruit members for your ATP. Call Brenda or Marsha to set up a time to train your team. q Brenda – (410) 516 -8819 or bthomas@jhu. edu q Marsha – (410) 516 -4193 or mgreenfeld@jhu. edu q Share information from NNPS with your team. q Share information about the work of your school’s team with NNPS. Complete UPDATE.