- Guilford County Schools
- News Archives: 2010-2017
Communications
Page Navigation
- Communications
- What We Do
- Meet the Team
- Back to School 2023
- GCS All-Stars 2023
-
Graduation 2023
- A&T Four Middle College at N.C. A&T
- Academy at Smith
- Andrews High
- Dudley High
- Early College at Guilford
- Eastern High
- Gateway Education Center
- Greene Education Center
- Greensboro College Middle College
- Grimsley High
- Haynes-Inman Education Center
- High Point Central High
- Kearns Academy
- Middle College at GTCC-Greensboro
- Middle College at GTCC-High Point
- Middle College at GTCC-Jamestown
- Middle College at UNCG
- Northeast High
- Northern High
- Northwest High
- Page High
- Penn-Griffin School for the Arts
- Ragsdale High
- Smith High
- Southeast High
- Southern High
- Southwest High
- STEM Early College at N.C. A&T
- Weaver Academy
- Western High
- News Media
- Public Records Requests
- GCSTV
- Get the GCS App!
- Get Involved: Volunteer or Partner
- Employee of the Month
- Internal Key Communicators
- Ignite Magazine
- GCS Branding and Communications Standards
- News Archives: 2010-2017
Guilford Parent Academy Receives External Evaluation Report
Affirmation that Guilford Parent Academy provides valuable and positive resources to parents and families in Guilford County came with a recent evaluation from Leadership Solutions Group, LLC.
Based in Fayetteville, NC, the Leadership Solutions Group is a K-12 educational support group whose mission is to provide leadership development for the purpose of adding value through the lens of improved student achievement. The evaluation was required and paid for by a federal grant the district received to expand Guilford Parent Academy. The evaluation cost $3,500.
After reviewing research, evaluation data and internal documents provided by GCS and conducting focus groups with parents, community partners and GCS leaders to discuss GPA’s offerings, benefits and opportunities for improvement, the evaluation team came back with a glowing report. Designed with and for parents, GPA provides information, training and connections to resources that help parents and other caregivers help their children succeed.
“The accomplishments and offerings of GPA are nothing short of amazing, and this program should serve as a model for districts across North Carolina and the United States,” evaluators wrote. The evaluators determined that GPA is headed in the right direction as the department continues to share powerful resources and information to support the involvement of parents in the educational process. The report specifically noted high-quality sessions and the focus on children’s well-being and academic success.
A cornerstone of the district’s first strategic plan, Guilford Parent Academy (GPA) was launched in 2011. Businesses for Excellence in Education, now merged with Guilford Education Alliance, provided the initial $800,000 in seed money to get the program off the ground. Dozens of community groups and non-profits, local universities, faith communities and businesses donate time, expertise and resources to parents through GPA.
“Understanding the tremendous correlation between parent engagement and successful student outcomes, our work is focused on providing parents with tools that they can use to support the success of their children at home,” said Lindsay Whitley, director of Guilford Parent Academy. “We are finding that parents are eager to be involved in the educational process, but sometimes they need additional resources and support, and we are honored to do this very important work.”
During the 2014-15 school year, as a result of more than 400 workshops, presentations and special events, GPA reached record-breaking numbers with the cumulative attendance at GPA events exceeding 38,000. Some of the topics included “Helping Your Child Succeed,” “Planning and Applying for College” and “Homework Help.” The fifth annual Family Fun Day drew a large crowd, shattering records from previous years with nearly 7,500 participants.
Last spring, thanks to the federal grant funding, GPA launched BrainFuse – HelpNow! – a 24-7 online tutoring and homework assistance program.
The evaluation team also provided recommendations to ensure GPA’s continued growth. Primarily, they suggest collecting and analyzing additional data to ensure that GPA continues to meet the needs of its diverse families.