About NNPS

Established at Johns Hopkins University in 1996, NNPS invites districts, states, and organizations to use research-based approaches to organize, implement, and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement. The goal? Leaders for partnerships will guide all schools—preschool, elementary, middle, and high schools—to welcome all families as partners in their children’s education.

“Based on decades of research and fieldwork on parental involvement, family engagement, and community partnerships, NNPS workshops, tools, and action team approach guide leaders for partnerships to help all schools engage all families in ways that contribute to student learning and development,” explains Dr. Joyce L. Epstein, Founder and Co-Director of NNPS.

NNPS Strengthens Leaders for Partnerships

NNPS professional development workshops and on-going support increase the knowledge and skills of leaders for partnerships in districts, states, and organizations across the country. Every site is different—yes!—but all leaders can use proven strategies to customize their programs and implement their official policies on school, family, and community partnerships.

For 30 years, NNPS has been the homebase for educators working to improve programs and practices of family and community engagement. Over 5000 schools and several hundred districts and organizations contributed data to help us develop the structures and processes that support goal-linked programs of school, family, and community partnerships. The results of our studies and fieldwork are shared in the comprehensive NNPS guide: School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, 4th Edition (Corwin Press, 2019) and in more than 150 publications.

Over the years, one of the strongest results of our studies is the importance of well-prepared district leaders for partnerships. With NNPS, district leaders learn to guide or “coach” all of their schools to welcome all families and improve outreach on goal-linked activities that matter for student success.

In NNPS workshops, leaders meet each other and share best practices of family and community engagement. NNPS shines a spotlight on good work that is conducted in very different settings at the school, district, organization, and state levels. Leaders learn from researchers and from each other about how to engage all families—not just a few—in ways that increase student success—the real reason for good partnership programs.

How Will this Work for YOU?

Your District, Organization, Region, or State is invited to become an
NNPS Professional Development Partner.

Step 1. Return the NNPS PRELIMINARY AGREEMENT on the website in the section Join NNPS.

Say “Yes!” to strengthen your leadership on partnerships!