Tropic Isles Elementary School and Lehigh Senior High School have been selected as Lee County’s 2011-12 elementary and secondary Parent Involvement Award recipients.

The Florida Department of Education, together with the Florida PTA and State Farm Insurance, annually recognize exemplary school practices that increase family involvement in our schools.

These practices include, but are not limited to programs that focus on: parenting, removing barriers, student learning, communicating, volunteering, training at school or at home, decision making and collaborating with the community.

Tropic Isles project, “Parent Involvement Week,” was initiated after surveying their parents at the beginning of the year.

Parents could choose among a weeklong series of activities that were offered Monday through Friday at the school. During the week, more than 700 parents and 750 students attended at least one family involvement event.

Lehigh Senior High’s nomination, “Back on Track,” created a series of informational sessions – arranged to accommodate parent schedules – that informed families of an innovative alternative program for credit retrieval for ninth-grade and 10th-grade students.

With the support of teachers, staff, tutors and parents, the project’s mission was to not only increase student achievement, but also improve parent involvement.

These two sistrict award-winners will have their projects appear in Sparkplugs, the Florida DOE’s annual publication of outstanding family involvement practices.

In addition, both schools are being considered for regional recognition – regional winners will be honored in July at the Florida PTA Leadership Convention.