Partnership District and Organization Award Winners 2020

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One district and three organizations earned 2020 Partnership Awards from the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) at Johns Hopkins University. These programs are recognized for having expert leaders who guide schools’ Action Teams for Partnerships (ATPs) to develop, implement, evaluate, and continually improve their plans and practices of school, family, and community partnerships.

District and organization leaders assist schools to conduct goal-linked family and community engagement activities that welcome all families as partners in education, and contribute to student achievement in specific subjects, attendance, behavior, health, postsecondary planning, and other indicators of success in school. Guidelines for district and organization leadership are in chapter 7 of Epstein, et al., (2019). School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, Fourth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

This year, leaders described how their work on family and community engagement supported the district, organization, or state policy on partnerships, strategic plan, or goals for school improvement. The leaders also provided the signature of a district superintendent or organization supervisor who approved the application for an award.

District and organization leaders work to increase awareness of and commitment to family and community engagement, align district and school programs of partnerships with official policies, share knowledge, celebrate successes, and/or improve family and community engagement in other ways. Award applicants also submitted their annual Leadership Plans for Partnerships. Repeat award-winning districts and organizations must show how they improved their programs over time. The goal is for districts and schools to have sustainable programs of family and community engagement for student success, not just isolated activities.

The district and organization activities (below) and others are reported in greater detail in the NNPS collection, Promising Partnership Practices 2020 at www.partnershipschools.org in the section Success Stories.