Creating partnerships between schools and communities to support youth development
Abstract
In working to support youth success there often exists a gap between schools, families, and communities that could be bridged by creating partnerships among members of these groups. This effective practice presents the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's resource and training manual Planning for Youth Success that helps schools launch partnerships (or strengthen existing ones) among parents, community members, school staff, and students as they plan a project to achieve a shared goal while supporting youth development.Issue
Forging partnerships that can more effectively promote youth than any one organization working in isolation.
Action
To help schools launch partnerships with families and communities, the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's cross-program School-Family-Community Partnerships Team developed a resource and training manual, Planning for Youth Success. This manual provides a process, guidelines, and tools for facilitators to create new partnerships (or strengthen existing ones) among parents, community members, school staff, and students as they plan a project that will demonstrate community wide support for youth development. The process addresses these questions:
- How do we define youth success?
- How can we measure youth success?
- What community resources can promote youth success?
- What project shall we undertake to promote youth success, and how can we engage the community and measure the results of this project?
Context
Planning for Youth Success (December, 2001) provides supplemental assessment information for a broader, more accurate picture of a school's strengths and areas for improvement, and shows how communities can contribute to and enrich education for youth.
The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's School-Family-Community Partnerships Team helps schools and communities create a shared vision that is realized through a collaborative effort to create successful outcomes for youth. These cross-cultural efforts involve curricular, policy, fiscal, and social support techniques, building on existing strengths and fostering continuous learning and growth.
Citation
The School-Family-Community Partnerships Team. Planning for Youth Success: Resource and Training Manual. The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, December, 2001.Outcome
The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's resource and training manual Planning for Youth Success (December, 2001) provides a positive structure for members of a school community to set standards for youth success unique to their community and to create a project around a shared goal. Schools/families/communities working towards this goal can:- Identify characteristics that are most important for youth to be successful in their community.
- Consider ways to determine that students are developing these characteristics.
- Identify resources and assets in the community that will help youth develop these characteristics.
- Plan and implement a project to promote the characteristics, then evaluate the effectiveness of the project and communicate this to the public.
Posted On
October 16, 2002For More Information