Making contacts

In the last week, we have been getting responses from the people we have contacted locally and in the States. Sharon Butler is willing to help launch our project by providing a background information session to staff and parents about the value community partnerships add to student learning. Professor Joyce Epstein is also willing to assist us make contact with successful partnership schools in the U.S.

One hurdle we have encountered in setting up school visits at this point in the year, is that the schools in the northern hemisphere are about to finish their school year and are flat out with reporting and end of year activities.

Thanks Ross

Thanks Ross for creating this great blog for us. We haven't got a photo of NY that we've taken yet.

Thanks to Robyn

Robyn, Thanks for all your help today with the Blog & Literature Search.

Literature Search

Today, Robyn, Ray and I have spent time setting up the blog so that we can record and share all our adventures as "Researchers". We have begun our literature search into "School, Family and Community Partnerships" by looking at some articles.

We are setting up meetings and school visits in the States with "IMPORTANT" people. We have been in contact with Professor Joyce Epstein - John Hopkins Univerity, Baltimore; Heather Weiss - Director of Harvard Family Research Project and Sharon Kuznick - Principal of Roberts Elementary School in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Our Research questions are:
· What impact do school, family and community partnerships have on student learning outcomes?

· What are the underlying elements that make partnerships effective?

· How do you build trust and respectful relationships between teachers and parents so that teachers will embrace community partnerships?

· What kinds of partnership / engagement are most influential on student learning outcomes and how to make that happen?

5 Months to go!

Only 5 months and 6 days and I haven't started packing yet! We are off to New York and Baltimore to research School, Family and Community Partnerships. We are the first registrants for the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) Leadership Development Conference 2009 IN THE WORLD! Also, Glen Iris and Sherbourne Primary Schools are the first Australian schools to join NNPS - go figure!