Attracting and retaining community partners
ATTRACTING AND RETAINING COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Working with your classmate(s), use Sanders’ (2006, pp. 88-89) reference to attracting community partners to respond to the following big question:
What Attracts Community Partners to a School?
You and your classmate(s) will collaboratively:
Discuss each of the four factors listed by Sanders (2006) on pages 88-89 as significant to attracting prospective community partners (note that factor number 2 could be substituted with, Leader support); and
List a minimum of two strategies or considerations for each factor that each member in the team believes their school district can initiate to attract potential community partners.
Note that only one candidate within the same team posts the team’s final answer in the discussion board for peer review. Insert all the team members’ names in the subject line of your team’s initial post.
REQUIRED STUDIES
The following materials are required studies for this week. Complete these studies at the beginning of the week and save these weekly materials for future use.
Building School-Community Partnerships: Collaboration for Student Success (Sanders, 2006)
Chapter 3: Components of Successful Community Partnerships
Chapter 5: Bringing the Community In
Read
Partnering: The New Face of Leadership (Belasco, Segil, & Goldsmith, 2002) [Web page]
Chapter 5: Leading Organizations into Partnership (E. Pinchot & Pinchot, 2002)
Attracting Community Partners
In this section, the facilitator should focus on four major factors identified by community partners as important to their engagement (see Handout 8.8, What Attracts Community Partners to a School): 1. Schools’ commitment to learning. Facilitators should emphasize that schools do not have to be the best in their district or state but must show that they are functional and focused on systematically improving student outcomes.
Principal support. Facilitators should emphasize that principals are not expected to manage every aspect of a community partnership; however, principal support and enthusiasm for partnerships are important to attract and maintain effective partnerships, as discussed in Handout 8.9 (What Principals Can Do . . .). 3. A welcoming climate. Facilitators should emphasize that community partners are more likely to engage in partnerships with schools that are welcoming. 4. Clear communication. Facilitators should emphasize that schools must communicate their goals clearly to community partners and also engage in two-way communication to identify mutually acceptable ways in which community partners can assist in achieving them. Sample letters in Resource B should be introduced as tools to support school- community communication. Once information is reviewed, facilitators should be prepared to field questions about each of these elements. To pre- pare for this section, facilitators should review Chapters 3 through 7. Taking Action The facilitator should encourage participants to reflect on what they have learned by completing the questions shown in Handout 8.10 (Taking Action), either individually or in pairs. If time permits, have participants share their next steps with the whole group. Questions and Answers and Evaluation The facilitator should allot time for final questions and comments. Participants should also be given the opportunity to complete the evaluation shown in Handout 8.11 (Workshop on Community Partnerships). SUMMARY This workshop will provide participants with the basic information needed to begin to develop meaningful, goal-focused partnerships. Facilitators should feel free to modify the workshop as needed to address the specific needs and concerns of their audiences. Activities in Resource A, for example, might be used to provide participants with more opportunities to discuss the identification of community partners (Activity 1), improving existing community partnerships (Activities 2 and 3), and garnering principal support for community partnerships (Activity 4). Facilitators also can photocopy chapters that they believe will further enhance participants’ understanding and preparation. Chapter 1 provides a broad overview of key concepts, Chapter 4 provides suggestions for getting started in low-readiness schools, and Chapter 7 pro- vides several examples of promising community partnership practices. These or other chapters, as well as relevant handouts, should be included in a binder and given to participants to use as reference material once the workshop is completed.
Answer preview to attracting and retaining community partners
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