By building strong campus-community partnerships, your institution can collaborate with key community stakeholders to strengthen your America Counts program.

Some possible community partners are :

• Local Schools: Many higher education campuses collaborate with local teachers and district specialists to train tutors. As part of its partnership agreement with the San Francisco School District, for example, San Francisco State University's America Counts tutors will be trained by district personnel.



• Community-Based Organizations (CBO): Staff, from CBOs such as the YMCA or Boys and Girls Club, are generally interested in partnerships that expand services to community children. Tacoga University, for example, has partnered with a local recreation center that provides office and classroom space for the university's America Reads program.



• Business and Industry: Local businesses and industries can provide much needed support. Duke University, for example, has partnered with Glaxo-Wellcome, a pharmaceutical company, to fund America Reads program coordination, tutor training, student supplies, and transportation.



• Other Higher Education Campuses: Some higher education campuses, in cities such as Washington D.C. and Boston, have formed America Reads consortia to coordinate activities and share responsibilities and resources. Existing consortia can be broadened to include mathematics, or new ones formed to focus on mathematics.



• Local Alumni: Your campus's local alumni network may be willing to "adopt" America Counts as one of its service projects. Alumni can possibly provide administrative and/or content-specific support.



• Senior Associations: Organizations, such as the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and the America Association of Retired People (AARP)--may also be interested in collaborating to provide educational assistance to local students.

Elements of a Strong Partnership. According to information gathered from a number of America Reads programs, tutoring partnerships work well if they include the following:

• A shared understanding of each partner's role, responsibilities, and accountability



• Active partner participation and frequent communication



• Partners who represent the community's various interests and have a diverse knowledge base



• An effective advisory committee or working group



• A plan for sustainability and capacity building