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1999 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 823
Urging Virginia employers, families, community organizations, faith communities, businesses, schools, and cultural institutions to participate in the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 1999
Agreed to by the Senate, February 18, 1999

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth’s commitment to excellence in public education is both historic and ongoing, and the mission of Virginia’s public schools has continually evolved to meet societal, economic, and social challenges; and

WHEREAS, a proven leader in change in education, Virginia was among the first states to codify standards for its public schools and continues to raise these standards to meet the demands of the future; and

WHEREAS, 30 years of research clearly show the link between educational achievement and parental and community involvement in education; and

WHEREAS, the quality of our schools is fundamental to our quality of life and our economic vibrancy; and

WHEREAS, in 1994 United States Education Secretary Richard Riley established the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, comprised of “school and family leaders, community and religious organizations, and family-friendly businesses” that have joined together to “encourage and enable families to be more meaningfully involved in their children’s education and improve their schools”; and

WHEREAS, the two-fold mission of the Partnership is to “increase opportunities for families to be more involved in their children’s learning at school and at home” and to “use family-school-community partnerships to strengthen schools and improve student achievement”; and

WHEREAS, among the Partnership’s 4,400 members nationwide are employers, families, community organizations, faith communities, businesses, schools, and cultural institutions that have joined to “support learning to high standards”; and

WHEREAS, according to the Partnership, 72 percent of children ages 10 to 13 indicated they would like to talk to their parents more about schoolwork, and teachers have stated that parental involvement in education is the "single most important thing public schools need to help students learn"; and

WHEREAS, in conjunction with the United States Department of Education, the Partnership conducts national activities such as America Reads Challenge: READ*WRITE*NOW!, America Goes Back to School, Think College Early, and After-School programs; and

WHEREAS, by joining the Partnership, Virginia employers, families, community organizations, faith communities, businesses, schools, and cultural institutions will be able to share our educational best practices and learn from others in the public and private sectors; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That Virginia employers, families, community organizations, faith communities, businesses, schools, and cultural institutions be urged to participate in the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to His Excellency, the Governor of the Commonwealth, in order that he may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly in this matter.