For Immediate Release    Contact: Kim Gardner
Date: 8/16/05                 859-233-9849 ext 229

Parent leadership program gaining national exposure

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The parent training program developed by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is once again garnering national attention.

The latest USA Weekend (August 14 issue) features a project by Eldridge Ellis, a graduate of the Parents for Public Schools (PPS) program in Jackson, MS. The Jackson program was developed with the assistance of the Center for Parent Leadership, a program of the Prichard Committee that helps communities replicate the award-winning Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership.

Ellis' project was highlighted in an article, "5 Parents Pitch in to Make a Difference," that looked at parents "who were making an extraordinary impact at their children's schools," the magazine noted. His effort, focused on improving students' reading and writing skills, included the development of a writing lab to address students' specific problems.

In August 2004, USA Weekend featured a cover article about Sande Shepherd of Louisville, a fellow of the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership who created a nonprofit group to raise funds to buy computers for a local elementary school.

USA Weekend is distributed nationwide in Sunday newspapers.

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