A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Appendix C
Build Consensus and Partnerships

Leaders of successful programs offer the following tips:

• Seek reactions from diverse members of the school and community. Ask how an extended school program might help their children and families improve educational opportunities. What mutual goals could be addressed? Would the program affect their responsibilities? What role could they play? How could they volunteer? Who has concerns about the program, and how can they be resolved? For each partner, consider how the agency would interact with school staff and children; how staff would coordinate efforts between and among the school and collaborating agencies; and what hours or days each service could be offered.

• Use existing data to communicate the need for an after-school or summer program. Focus on statistics from unbiased sources: school absence, dropout, and graduation rates; student scores on standardized tests; numbers of students with limited English proficiency or poor literacy skills who could use extra learning opportunities; tobacco, alcohol, and drug use by students; rates of suicide and violence among students; and the availability of community resources.

• Bridge the communication gap among stakeholders from different communities. The terms people use for activities and program participants often reveal their goals and programmatic emphasis. Make sure that educators, service providers, volunteers, and other partners understand these terms. For example, to many private service providers the term "client" refers to an individual child; to many members of the school staff, the word includes parents, other family members, and community residents as well as students.

• Form partnerships with other groups and organizations. Make your stakeholders your partners. Businesses, church and community groups, and non-profit organizations have much to offer, and in many cases are already serving some of the same populations. Indeed, many of these groups can act as a bridge to the populations you hope to serve in the Community Learning Center. In so doing, both partners benefit: the school adds to its resources and services, and the partner can use its resources more cost effectively.

[Appendix B: A Community Learning Center Budget Worksheet ]

[Appendix D: Conduct a Community Assessment to Inform the Selection of Education Programs]