Resource Topic: School & Community Partnerships

Often, there are several types of community partners operating in schools simultaneously. Cooperative partners operate autonomously, but may share one or more goals with the school. Collaborative partners share school goals, and periodically discuss with school partners the ways they are helping to accomplish shared goals. Integrated partners work closely with school partners to establish shared goals, and participate in planning and decision-making at their school site. Use this tool to determine what type of partnership you should pursue.

Questions designed to help organizational leadership teams reflect on their readiness to partner with schools. These questions can be helpful before entering into new partnerships, or when rethinking or evaluating existing partnerships. 

An introduction to program quality, and a comparison of the Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA) to Washington State’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Project (TPEP) frameworks. 

It is very likely that schools and community partners have vision or mission statements specific to their organizations, but to what extent do they complement one another? By creating a shared vision to guide partnership, partners can begin the process of aligning work toward maximum impact. This tool provides guidance on conducting a community visioning process for a partnership.

Use this guide to think about what you might include in a newsletter about your program, and also about the frequency and format that would best meet the needs of your audience. 

Site coordinators (principals, school staff, or community-based organization leaders) can take inventory of existing programs and partners within their school using this tool. This process can take time to complete, but can help to clarify the partnership landscape at a school site.