Managing School-Community Partnerships is a Full-Time Job

Managing School-Community Partnerships is a Full-Time Job
Posted by Michael Robbins on January 11, 2011 at 02:50 PM EST

Partnering with faith and community organizations is a proven means for schools to boost attendance, improve behavior, and achieve measurable gains in learning – all outcomes we want to see from our School Improvement Grants at the U.S. Department of Education.

Not surprisingly for many schools, the task of seeking out and sustaining these partnerships frequently gets pushed to the bottom of an endless to-do list. A proven way to reap the benefits of community partnerships is for a school to designate a skilled, experienced person for precisely this job.

Read more at The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.


More about the School Improvement Fund from the US Dept of Education

In conjunction with Title I funds for school improvement reserved under section 1003(a) of the ESEA, School Improvement Grants under section 1003(g) of the ESEA are used to improve student achievement in Title I schools identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring so as to enable those schools to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) and exit improvement status.

The Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2010, provided $546 million for School Improvement Grants in fiscal year (FY) 2010. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) estimates that, collectively, States have carried over approximately $825 million in FY 2009 SIG funds that will be combined with FY 2010 SIG funds, for a total of nearly $1.4 billion that will be awarded by States as part of their FY 2010 SIG competitions.


I work in the Community Arts Partnerships Department at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI.

Community Arts Partnerships (CAP) collaborates with Detroit community organizations to create art and design education, experiences, and resources for local youth and families in support of individual and community development.

In support of this mission, CAP provides programs that foster positive youth development through visual arts programs focused on skill development, self discover, and self expression, bring education in art, design, and new technologies to youth in under-resourced inner-city communities, inform young people about career and educational opportunities in the visual arts and design, and bring the arts to bear in the re-development of the city of Detroit and its diverse neighborhoods and communities.

The CAP office partners with organizations within a 25 mile radius of the College for Creative Studies (CCS) that serve youth and families that are at least 51% free/reduced lunch eligible.

CAP's goal is that students receive diverse input from a truly diverse faculty and staff. In 2010, CAP's faculty, staff, and artists were nearly 47% African American, 39% Caucasian, and a 14% mix of other populations including Latino, Arab-American, Asian-American, and Native American. 81% of our employees live within CAP's core target area including the cities of Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck.

It is very rewarding to serve the community is such an impactful way. I love Detroit and look forward to the wonderful things that will happen here in the near future.