National publication honors family engagement initiative from North Charleston Elementary

North Charleston Elementary School is the first school from Charleston County School District to be featured in the annual National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) Promising Partnership Practices handbook. The Dolphins are in the 2020 edition thanks to their initiative, Painting on Purpose with Parents.

The handbook is a collection of programs, events, and initiatives from schools across the country and the world. Forty entries from 14 districts in nine different states, as well as schools from Ireland and Scotland, are in this year’s edition. The publication provides other schools with quality examples of community engagement from schools, which create better educational atmospheres and opportunities for students and their families.

CCSD has been part of NNPS (sponsored by Johns Hopkins University) since 2017; 40 of the district’s Title I schools are involved with this network.

North Charleston Elementary School’s (NCES) Painting on Purpose with Parents, which was held at the school in February 2020, linked artwork with behavioral goals of the school’s PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) program. An art activity reinforced the underlying goal of PBIS to support students’ positive behaviors and positive emotions about their own skills and talents. With a parent/guardian partner, students also gained immediate family support and encouragement during a fun experience.