PANAMA CITY — Parker Elementary School has adopted the Community Partnership Schools model to assist students with innovative learning and academic success.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house event took place Sept. 8 at Parker Elementary with community partners to celebrate the launch of the model.
Parker Elementary is the first school in Bay County to adopt this strategy with partnerships among Bay District Schools, Children’s Home Society of Florida, Gulf Coast State College and PanCare of South Florida Inc.
John Sherman, senior director of Community Partnership Schools, explained that the strategy is achieved through long-term partnerships with those core organizations.
“This design offers equitable opportunities for students both inside and outside the classroom, and the way we achieve this is between long-term partnerships with at least four core partners,” Sherman said. “We collaborate with community partners to eliminate the known barriers that we face in schools.”
How the Community Partnership School model works
The Community Partnership Schools model helps to address barriers such as economic uncertainty, housing instability, mental health challenges, inadequate access to health care and more. It brings together high-quality academics, health care, counseling, mentoring and a host of other services to ensure students and their families are comfortable in their own school.
The first step toward implementing the model at Parker is the planning phase, which includes a community needs assessment. Students, teachers, parents and community members identify their primary needs and challenges, the results of which will determine the services and solutions that will be brought into the school.
“In the past, we (at Parker Elementary) have tried to help our families, but we didn’t have all the connections we needed to make it happen,” Parker Elementary Principal Chris Coan said. “With this new strategy, it gives us more experts and avenues to provide those connections, and being able to do that is a big aspect of building that trust with our families and the community.”
Focus on family involvement is key
Other critical components of this model include a focus on parental and family engagement, as well as comprehensive health and wellness efforts. A “SHIP” room – also referred to as Sharing Hope in Partnership — was added to the campus to enable families to utilize their resources through the school.
Sharis Robinson, director of CHS Community Partnership Schools at Parker Elementary, said the goal is to have the school become a one-stop shop for them.
“We look at the ‘SHIP’ room as a hub on campus to provide to our families,” Robinson said, adding that the school is always looking for volunteers and mentors to help contribute to the student’s success. “We cater to the needs of our families, and it’s our job to alleviate any barriers that our community may have. We want to be that one-stop shop for them.”
In addition, Parker Elementary has received monetary support from foundational partners, including $10,000 from United Way of Northwest Florida and $30,000 from Florida Power and Light Company.
22 schools in Florida use model
First implemented in Florida in 2010, the Community Partnership School model has proven to improve outcomes for children and families. Specific successes include reduced disciplinary actions, improved attendance, greater parental involvement and, at high schools, increased graduation rates.
According to Sherman, the model has expanded to 22 schools across the state and is expected to add at least seven additional schools under the Community Partnership Schools umbrella in the coming years.
More about Community Partnership Schools in Florida
Noting that the engagement of parents and guardians is critical to the success of any student, BDS Superintendent Bill Husfelt said he’s pleased to see the ongoing commitment to engaging parents and guardians in meaningful and useful ways through the community partnership.
“We are very excited about this partnership and about this model for our community,” Husfelt said. “I’m grateful to all of the community partners for their donations of time, financial support and resources. I am positive this partnership is going to provide significant benefits to our Parker students, families, employees and community.”
