Parent Involvement
School/Family/Community
Dr. Joyce Epstein states that the primary reason to create School/Family/Community partnerships is "to help all children succeed in school and in later life." Implementation of partnerships will vary, however, if done well, can positively impact students, teachers and parents.  A well-designed and well-implemented program will include all six types of involvement to some degree and be linked to the individual school goals.

Model     Upcoming Events     Core Team     Newsletter     Knowledge Bank

Joyce Epstein's Family Involvement Model
Caring for the Children We Share
Parenting
 Assist families with parenting and child-rearing skills, understanding child and adolescent development, and setting home conditions that support children as students at each age and grade level.  Assist schools in understanding families.
Communicating
 Communicate with families about school programs and student progress through effective school-to-home and home-to-school communications.
Volunteering
 Improve recruitment, training, work, and schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at the school or in other locations to support students and school programs.
Learning at Home
 Involve families with their children in learning activities at home, including homework and other curriculum-related activities and decisions
Decision Making
The Naperville Home & School
Association
 Include families as participants in school decisions, governance, and advocacy through, school councils, committees and other parent organizations. 
Community Collaboration
 Coordinate resources and services for families, students, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and groups, and provide services to the community.

Best Practices

Coffee Get Together:  Parents gather at an elementary school during an evening to discuss ideas and concerns and to discuss with teachers and administrators ways to become more involved in their children's education.
Pre-K Picnic:  Prior to the start of school, incoming kindergartners and their families are invited to an outdoor picnic organized by the school Parent Involvement Team, which plans games and supplies treats.
Mulitcultural Activity:  Parents, staff, and students plan and perform in an all-school assembly about a topic such as the Chinese New Year.
Resource Room:  Resource rooms for parents and staff are available at the District 203 Administrative Center and at schools. A bulletin board offers parenting publications and solicits input about parental concerns.
Book Project:  Parents and students write and illustrate a book that introduces newcomers to their school or community.
Biographies:  Parent volunteers interview teachers, then create and distribute to other parents a "biography book" about the teaching staff.
Parent Mentors:  The parents of a student new to a junior high school are contacted by an "experienced" parent who lives in their neighborhood.

UPCOMING EVENTS


 

CORE TEAM
Maureen Dvorak
Sheila Verkamp
Parent Parent
Co-Chairmen

Dr. Mary Ann Bobosky
Dir. Of Planning & Community Relations

Victoria Boomgarden
Parent & Naperville Education Foundation Trustee

John Tableriou
Parent and Member of School Board

Sue Faber
Parent and Teacher � Mill Street School

Lenore Johnson
Asst. Superintendent Elem. Curriculum 

Mark Pasztor
Principal � Washington Jr. High

Tom Paulsen 
Principal-Naperville Central High School 

Sally Pentecost
Asst. Principal � Madison Jr. High

Karen Perry
Instructional Coordinator � Maplebrook

Janet Reed
Teacher � Madison Jr. High

Ginny Ritchie
Parent

Sheila Verkamp
Parent

Ed Schmidgall 
Teacher � Naperville North High School

Don Weber
Superintendent � District 203

Ann Staats
Parent and Member of School Board

Pat Larson
Parent

Jack Buller
Parent

Meda Peterson
Parent

Bessma Shamas
Parent

Gretchen Zelinski
Parent

Denise Mitchell
Parent

Dave Patton
Parent

 
SCHOOL/FAMILY/COMMUNITY
PARTNERSHIP TIMES
Fall 1999
VOLUME 2 NUMBER 1

Networking News
The goal of networking meetings is to provide an opportunity for action team members to share ideas and learn about School/Family/Community partnerships.  Our next networking opportunity is scheduled for February 3, 2000 at 7:00 p.m. at the Administrative Center.

Featured Best Practices
Type 2 Involvement
COMMUNICATING
Communicate with families about school programs and student progress through effective school-to-home and home-to-school communications.

In early 1999, when representatives of Kennedy Junior High met with feeder schools, it was recognized there was a need for a document that sixth grade parents could refer to over the coming months while preparing their child and themselves for sixth grade.  Thus, the birth of the Kennedy Junior High 6th Grade/New Student Survival Guide!  Prepared in a question and answer format, the Survival Guide answers just about any questions a parent can have about what is ahead in sixth grade.  It was distributed at the sixth grade parent orientation meeting in May.  The Survival Guide has received rave reviews and continues to be on the �Kennedy Best Seller List.�

Materials Review
Just a reminder that the Community Resource Center at District 203 Administrative Center is now on the first floor and is always being updated with articles, books, etc of interest to parents and educators.  Please visit!

Survey Results
One hundred ninety five action team members participated in our annual survey providing perceptions of parent involvement at their respective buildings. The results reinforced the level of perceived satisfaction with the progress of parent involvement.  In addition, the District 203's parent survey last spring included core questions around parent involvement giving us feedback from the district�s stakeholders. There were approximately 450 respondents to this survey. The results of this survey will be compared to our internal findings and we will report to the Core Team in November.

We are now moving far enough along in the survey process to start looking at trends. Even with changing membership within building teams we are starting  to  see  positive  patterns develop based on input from the teams.  Each team�s participation in the survey process is greatly appreciated. By now, each building principal should have received the results of the most recent action team survey. We will communicate the results of our surveys on a broader basis this school year.


Mission
The mission of the School/Family/Community Partnership is to enhance student learning and development by promoting, strengthening and celebrating the partnerships among District 203 staff, parents and the community through the use of the Joyce Epstein Framework of Six Types of Involvement.

Core Team Desired Outcomes

  • Demonstrate leadership, individually and as a core team, linking with other school district initiatives and community organizations, where appropriate, to strengthen school/ family/community partnerships.
  • Interact with our stakeholders to create a greater level of awareness of the Joyce Epstein Framework and its successes within District 203.
  • Enable all action team members to demonstrate familiarity with the Joyce Epstein Framework and understand its role in relation to school improvement plans.
  • Facilitate networking opportunities for action teams to share best practices regarding individual school initiatives, as well as, action team roles, relationships and responsibilities.
  • Gather and coordinate data used for internal and external purposes.
  • Celebrate success at all levels.

For more information contact:  

Mary Ann Bobosky, Ed.D.
Director of Planning and Community Relations
Naperville Community School District 203
203 West Hillside Road
Naperville, Illinois 60540-6589
630-420-6815
FAX 630-420-1066
E-mail:  [email protected]

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REVISED: Tuesday, February 26, 2002   

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