“The Power of Family-School-Community Partnerships”

The Power of Family School Community Partnerships: A Training Resource Manual is a pretty big packet, including a PowerPoint, from the NEA Priority Schools Campaign. Here’s how they describe it:

Drawing upon decades of research, the Manual provides simple, but provocative, strategies for uncovering what gets in the way of partnering and outlines clear paths for creating partnerships that support student and school success. The Power of Knowledge, Communication, Partnerships, Culture, Families and Communities in Academics, and Capitalizing on Resources are all roads which lead to effective collaboration, communication, and mutual respect—all essential elements for sustaining a web of support around priority schools and all schools.

Harlem Children’s Zone Conference

The Harlem Children’s Zone has announced that they’re hosting a national conference with a “with a focus on how to transform their communities by replicating the innovative HCZ model.” It will be taking place in November.

I’ve posted in the past about how much I like the HCZ, and also shared some questions/concerns about their work.

I won’t be able to attend the conference, but I’ll be interested in seeing what comes out of it.

Thanks to Alexander Russo for the tip.

I’ll Be A Guest On Education Week “Chat”

I’ll be a guest on an Internet “chat” that Education Week will be having on parent engagement in schools on September 15th at 2 PM Eastern time. This is a link to their webpage about chats, but it’s not listed on the schedule yet. I’ll share more information about it next week.

Unfortunately, it’s terrible timing for teachers (I certainly had to do quite a bit of juggling to participate), but I think it should be interesting.

ASCD Podcast

The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) recently had a podcast on Partnering to Transform the Conditions of Learning: Families and Educators Together.

You can read more about it on their blog and on their announcement.

Here’s an excerpt from their description of the podcast:

While research and common sense tell us that families are a powerful influence on children’s attitudes about learning and their success in school, we also know that educators and families often struggle to find meaningful ways to partner up. In light of what we know and what we’re committed to, how can we strategically transform family involvement in schools?

Parent Involvement Podcasts

The Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center has developed a free series of podcasts (with transcripts) and supporting materials and guides titled Parent Involvement: Keys to Success.

I haven’t had time to actually listen to any of them or read the materials yet (it’s on my “To Do” list!), but they look like they might be useful. Titles include:

Parents Support Student Progress: Send Student Achievement Goals Over the Top!

Parent Involvement: Get the Conversation Started and Keep it Going

Developing Strong Relationships with Parents: Three Things Schools Can Do to Increase Performance

Parent Involvement in Schools: Engaging Parents as Partners

Cultivating Parent Leaders

If any readers get an opportunity to check them out, please leave a comment saying what you think of them.