Business/Education Partnership Forum Newsletter
October 2009 - v4n10
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Note from the editor
- Top articles, commentaries, and announcements from September 2009
- Upcoming events
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Schools are clearly feeling the economic pinch, and as I’ve noted elsewhere, this is almost certainly the start of a long-term trend, and not a short-term decline as some expect. As a result, school and district officials are beginning to take a much greater interest in partnerships. My evidence is anecdotal, but I’ve heard several reports of superintendents pushing their principals to build these kinds of relationships with their stakeholders; I’ve seen school board candidates highlighting the benefits of partnerships, grants, and foundations as a core element of their election platforms; and I’ve seen state and national education associations begin talking about partnerships and including a focus on stakeholder engagement in their publications and meetings.
It’s wonderful to see this swell of interest; it’s complicated, however, by the lack of information and training available to people new to the field. Telling principals to “go build partnerships” without the needed support promises to be an exercise in frustration and poor results; they need an opportunity to learn how. Similarly, talking up partnerships at a state conference of district leaders without a firm and full grounding in the subject will limit the good that these leaders can do when they return to their districts.
Certainly, there are some district-level partnership professionals doing yeoman’s work in training their principals and district staff. But not every district has full-time people in these roles, and even those that do find that they’re stretched to provide the support everyone needs.
I’d like to offer a couple of suggestions:
- If you need a speaker or workshop leader on partnerships, let me know. I have a network of people across the country who may be available to help whether you’re interested in trainers, conference presenters, or something else.
- If you have a group of people who need to be trained, we can offer group discounts on our workshops, webinars, or newsletter subscriptions. We can even set up online or on-site trainings to help. Again, let me know.
This is an interesting time for partnerships, with a growing interest in the field; a difficult economic environment (and getting worse); and a near-total fragmentation of the market, with lots of isolated efforts across the country, and only a handful of organizations (like TAPE and FAPE) around to facilitate networking and education. I’ll report on developments in this field as I find them.
Best,
Brett
TOP ARTICLES, COMMENTARIES, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SEPTEMBER 2009
Selected to highlight business thinking on education or innovative approaches to engagement
- Education partnerships on a budget this year - Hometown Annapolis (September 1, 2009)
- Seven Georgia Counties Reach Certified Work Ready Community Status - Press release, office of the governor (September 3, 2009)
- Cash-strapped California schools seek commercial sponsors to raise funds - Los Angeles Times (September 7, 2009)
- Get Schooled Initiative Launches - Aimed at Broadening Americans' Engagement in Solving the Education Crisis - Viacom press release (September 8, 2009)
- Texas Instruments foundation gives $3 million to train math and science teachers - Texas Instruments press release (September 9, 2009)
- K-12 Education Should Include Engineering, Experts Say - Science Daily (September 10, 2009)
- A jewel of a science lab - Gainesville Sun (September 10, 2009)
- 12th Annual Henry Schein Back-to-School Events Help 2,000 Underserved Children Return to the Classroom in Style - Henry Schein Inc. press release (September 10, 2009)
- Hanover center gives students a jump in finding a career - Richmond Times-Dispatch (September 13, 2009)
- At Tony Bennett's $78M school, arts education trumps fame - USA Today (September 16, 2009)
- KidZania: Japanese children experience the world of work - Telegraph (September 17, 2009)
- Va. students must state academic, career goals - Daily Press (September 17, 2009)
- Open for business: Struggling schools are looking for ways to make money - Orlando Sentinel (September 18, 2009)
- Barbour: Students should know about skill trades - Associated Press (September 18, 2009)
- Two North Carolina high schools to be ‘redesigned’ for 100 percent graduation rates - SAS press release (September 21, 2009)
- The role of business in education - The Journal (UK) (September 22, 2009)
- Program provides schools with refurbished computers - Arizona Republic (September 22, 2009)
- In Depth of Recession, American Business Confirm Value of Corporate Citizenship; Focus on Sustainable Products and Workforce Development, New Survey Shows - Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship press release (September 23, 2009)
- School Sees Better Days in the Future - Education Week (September 24, 2009)
- Program gets dropouts to re-enroll in school - Des Moines Register (September 27, 2009)
- Peering at the Future - New York Times (September 28, 2009)
- Auto shop and other industrial arts slated for a comeback as 'green tech' - Seattle Times (September 29, 2009)
- Parents consider paying teachers - Honolulu Advertiser (September 29, 2009)
- Berkeley High School to open yet another academy -- for green energy - Oakland Tribune (September 30, 2009)
- Gym class gets a rah-rah from NFL - Baltimore Sun (September 30, 2009)
- New Orleans Schools Go Solar With Entergy, Nike, Winrock International, U.S. Green Building Council Partnership, City of New Orleans - Entergy press release (September 30, 2009)
UPCOMING EVENTS
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