Meadow Brook Elementary School and North Hill Elementary School have been recognized as a 2015-2017 National PTA® School of Excellence. The National PTA School of Excellence designation honors accomplishments in building strong, effective family-school partnerships, which are proven to make a difference for students and schools.
“The Meadow Brook community is proud to have received this distinction,” said Meadow Brook Principal Seth Berg. “This award speaks to the partnerships that drive teaching and learning in our school community, which is so important for student success.”
North Hill Principal Dave Murphy agrees. “The strength of North Hill Elementary is in our relationship with families. Our community is committed to supporting their local school and that support is vital in helping students reach their full potential,” said Murphy. “Our staff and our PTA are thrilled to be recognized by the national PTA as something we strive to be daily – a school of excellence.”
National PTA awarded the honor to 124 schools representing 33 states and one Department of Defense school in Turkey. Together, the schools serve more than 93,500 students. “What is amazing is that only three schools in Michigan received the award,” said Executive Director of Elementary Education Michael Behrmann. “And two of those schools are in Rochester.”
National PTA launched its National PTA School of Excellence program in 2013 to help strengthen family-school partnerships across the country and make measurable progress in the areas of education, health and safety, and arts and cultural exploration. Through the program, a PTA partners with its school at the beginning of the school year to examine how families feel the school compares to the research-based indicators of the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. After evaluating their current family engagement strategies, the PTA and school then work together throughout the year to address barriers and open up new ways for families to support student success. The National PTA School of Excellence designation is awarded when families feel the school has achieved a high level of engagement or when the PTA and school have made substantive, positive improvement in families’ perceptions since the beginning of the year.
“More than 40 years of research shows that when families and schools work together, student achievement increases, schools improve and communities grow stronger,” said Laura Bay, president of National PTA. “National PTA Schools of Excellence are true examples of what can be accomplished when schools and families collaborate. We are pleased to recognize these schools and PTAs for their leadership and commitment to partnering to support student success and continuous improvement.”
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