Ensure student learning and achievement
are the focus of every partnership.

Partnerships with businesses, non-profits or other community groups offer schools an opportunity to succeed in achieving their goals. The key is to make sure that each school’s partner is offering resources and assistance that will complement school improvement efforts, not derail them.

“We’re not saying you can’t do fun things with the kids, but do things that are academically focused,” says Cheryl Hay, former vice president of work force development at the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Columbus, Ohio. “Each principal has a school improvement plan and we ask businesses to review it so they understand the school’s academic focus.”

Schools and businesses should sit down together to discuss how the partnership will enhance student learning and how progress will be measured. Ensuring strong buy-in from the superintendent and school board reinforces that the partnership program is a priority. For example, the superintendent can recognize principals who are leading effective school partnerships – those that best illustrate how partnerships can lead to increased student achievement.

Often a structure is put in place to help coordinate and support school-business partnerships. Typically, the program is a joint effort between the school district and the Chamber of Commerce. Most large school districts and some Chambers of Commerce have a central staff person who oversees the partnership program. The program may be housed in the district’s public relations department or its non-profit foundation.

Leaders of each school and business also are encouraged to assign a program coordinator for the partnership. These coordinators are essential to ensure ongoing communication and problem solving. A site coordinator at a school may be an assistant principal, teacher or counselor. Depending on the size of the business, the coordinator might be the company’s owner, a midlevel employee or a representative from the business’ community relations or grants department.

Focus on What Counts

When the law firm of Hogan & Hartson in Denver identified public education as its top volunteer priority, nearby Cheltenham Elementary seemed liked the perfect match. The school faces high poverty rates, low academic performance and a student population that is largely made up of English language learners.

The partners prioritized the school’s needs with the law firm’s resources. “They were so open to whatever we needed,” recalls Principal Claudia Beck. “If they had come in and said, ‘We want to do this,’ it would have been more difficult.”

Both partners also wanted to make sure they didn’t take on too much, too soon. “We feared we would disappoint the school and folks at the firm,” says attorney David Scott.

Hogan & Hartson provided literacy tutors and pledged $10,000 to the school to help fund a well-liked reading program that was on the budget chopping block. The firm even paid to fly in a literacy consultant to train staff.

Training the partners was critical, says assistant principal Don Dunphy. “Not all of the attorneys are familiar with kids. We take it for granted that being with a child is an easy thing. Training helped to alleviate their fears.”