Community–School Partnerships

Rationales for Community–School Partnerships

Within the theoretical literature, there are a number of rationales for community–school partnerships. Proponents emphasize their importance for effective school functioning, arguing that community–school collaboration can provide underre-sourced schools with human, financial, and material resources to operate more effectively. Proponents also argue that community–school partnerships are a means to ensure U.S. students' college and career readiness, thereby increasing the United States' global economic competitiveness. Others argue that community–school partnerships can increase the number of caring adults available to students who are committed to their learning and well-being. Still others view community–school partnerships as integral to broader efforts to improve community health and development.

Characteristics of Community–School Partnerships

Community–school partnerships fall along a continuum that ranges from simple to complex. Simple partnerships require very little coordination, planning, or cultural and structural shifts in [Page 428]school functioning. Thus they are relatively easy to implement, especially for schools that lack the experience needed for more complex partnerships. When well implemented, their impact is likely to be positive but limited. On the more complex end of the continuum, activities are long term and characterized by bidirectional or multidirectional exchange, high levels of interaction, and extensive planning and coordination.

Community–school partnerships may have multiple foci. Activities may be student centered, family centered, school centered, or community centered. Student-centered activities include those that provide direct services or goods to students such as mentoring and tutoring programs, contextual learning, and job-shadowing opportunities, as well as the provision of awards, incentives, and scholarships. Family-centered activities are those that have parents or entire families as their primary focus. This category includes activities such as parenting workshops, general equivalency diploma (GED) preparation and other adult education classes, parent/family incentives and awards, and family fun and learning nights. School-centered activities are those that benefit the school as a whole, such as beautification projects or the donation of equipment and materials to the school, or activities that benefit the faculty, such as staff development and classroom assistance. Community-centered activities have as their primary focus the community and its citizens, for example, charitable outreach, art and science exhibits, and community revitalization and beautification projects.

Forms of Community–School Partnerships

Potential community partners include businesses, universities and educational institutions, faith-based organizations, government and military agencies, health care organizations, national service and volunteer organizations, social service agencies, charitable organizations, senior citizen organizations, cultural and recreational institutions, community development organizations, and community volunteers who can provide resources and social support to youth and schools. Schools can collaborate with one or more of these partners to achieve a variety of goals. Schools' collaboration with five common community partners—businesses, universities, faith-based organizations, organizations that provide internships to youth, and social service professionals and agencies—are described below to highlight their potential for school improvement and reform.

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