There are many ways to conduct a community assessment; some are time- and resource intensive. This list describes some general resources that can help school staff and community partners gather information about the community they serve.
This resource includes practical tips for making collaborative meetings between cross-sector partners work better. This tool is adapted from a Technical Assistance Report created by Emerging Design as part of the Race to the Top Deep Dive 3 Project, which discusses key equity issues in school-community partnership work.
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.