GROW
A PARTNERSHIP
Guiding Principles for Achievement Partners
The following eight Guiding Principles, which fall into four thematic categories (The Foundation, Implementation, Continuity, and Implementation) help illustrate the characteristics of effective partnerships for schools and businesses/organizations that are interested in developing new partnerships or enhancing existing ones.
THE FOUNDATION: Developing the partnership's core values
Achievement Partnerships must be built on shared values and philosophies.
- Begin with an
open and frank discussion about values, goals and needs.
- Respect and reflect
the culture and goals of both the school and business/organization.
- Support the core
mission of the school.
- Bolster the academic,
social, and physical well being of students.
- Compliment the social values and goals of the school, business/organization and the community.
Partnerships should be defined by mutually beneficial goals and objectives.
- Clearly define
short and long-range goals.
- Focus on collaboration
to determine activities that meet the goals of all involved.
- Partnership goals and objectives should be aligned with education goals of individual schools and/or district.
IMPLEMENTATION: Translating values into action
Partnership activities should be integrated into the school and business cultures.
- Partners should
communicate frequently to respect and understand each other's cultures.
- Partnerships should
provide students, teachers, and business/organization employees with
opportunities to interact at school and business/organization sites.
Partnerships should be driven by a clear management process and structure.
- Each school and
school district should have a point person to manage partnerships
to ensure quality and alignment with educational goals for students.
- Partnerships should
include written descriptions of roles and responsibility, accountability
measures, and guidelines for responsibilities of educators and business/organization
employees.
- Partnerships should
include training for all key personnel.
Partnerships
should define specific, measurable outcomes.
- Partnerships should be guided by collaborative agreement on outcomes, benchmarks and measures of progress.
CONTINUITY: Sustaining the partnership
Partnerships should have support at the highest level within the business and school and concurrence at all levels.
- Superintendents,
principals, school boards, CEO's and managers should articulate and
demonstrate support for the partnership internally and externally.
- Partnerships should
be explicitly supported by teachers, employees and other constituents.
- Communities should have the opportunity to review and contribute to partnerships.
Partnerships should include detailed internal and external communications plans, which clearly illustrate expectations of all parties.
- Partners should
communicate regularly about intended and actual outcomes of all activities.
- Communication about partnerships should allow opportunities for private and public recognition of both parties.
EVALUATION: Determining strengths, weaknesses and future directions
Partnerships should be developed with clear definitions of success for all partners.
- Measures for success
should be established at the outset of the partnership.
- Partnerships
should be evaluated on a regular agreed-upon basis.
- Evaluation should include collection and analysis of information to determine accomplishments, strengths and weaknesses of the partnership.
The Council for Corporate and School Partnerships developed the Guiding Principles using data from opinion research and outreach.
