This paper outlines a vision for a “partnership ecosystem” that unites school-based service providers into a seamless web of supports for students. Here we describe the rationale for school-community partnerships and the key features of a thriving ecosystem. This document serves as the basis for YDEKC’s School & Community Partnership Toolkit.
This activity is designed to help school and community leaders map out the ecosystem of supports for students at a school site. This can be a helpful exercise if you want to visually represent the complexity of partnerships. See the sample map to get an idea of what a finished map can look like.
This tip sheet compiles tips and questions for both a school site and a partner organization to consider for their initial meeting. Use the questions provided here to prepare for a productive conversation.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU or MoU) is a formal agreement between two or more parties. MOUs are not legally binding but they imply mutual obligation, and are preferable to informal agreements. Use this tip sheet to learn more about what to include in an MOU.
This tip sheet summarizes some basic data sources that can help community partners to research the strengths and challenges that students may face at their partner school. Many of the resources presented here can also help partners identify schools that might be a fit for the services they provide.
This is an example of how one might create a logic model based on a program’s theory of change, in the context of a school and community partnership.