Develop a well-defined and well-managed program
that supports school-based partnerships.

Most of the successful, long-lived partnership programs have a formal structure; written guidelines; a partnership handbook; comprehensive databases; evaluation tools; recognition programs; and policies about such issues as confidentiality, commercialism and safety. (For samples of guidelines, policies and other tools, visit www.danielsfund.org.)

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.

What Worked

  The Cheltenham Elementary and Hogan & Hartson partnership advances the school’s goals to improve students’ literacy skills.
  The principal talked with staff about the proposed partnership and secured their commitment from the start.
  Volunteers from the law firm received training to help students build literacy skills.
  The firm and the school narrowed their priorities from the onset to ensure the firm’s volunteers and school staff didn’t take on too much.