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The Storefront School partnership (SS) is an example of applying the concept of educational partnership to an important and persisting problem. Many school districts, particularly in urban areas, are confronted by high numbers of students who drop out of school. If, as dropouts and others frequently claim, it is the institution of "school" itself that is a barrier to success for such students, alternative settings may provide a way to "reclaim" these young people. Further, many dropouts need social and health supports as well as an alternative setting. Consequently, the SS provides a model of a partnership serving a challenging clientele.
The SS extends several lessons for partnership development:
The Storefront School combines the resources of the City School District, the local franchise of a nationwide fast-food chain and several other private businesses in the community, and local public organizations and agencies, among them, the city health department and a shelter for homeless youth. The project provides employment and academic and life skills to adolescents who have dropped out of school. The youth served have not been enrolled in any school for at least six months. Though their stories vary, they share a stark reality. Most do not live in a traditional home setting with parents. Many live with foster families or with other youth, independent of any adult authority or supervision. Many of the adolescents are themselves parents. Some are homeless and live transient lives, moving from shelter to shelter. The harsh climate in the state makes this situation even more difficult to endure. Many of the youth have been victims of various forms of abuse. Others have never received guidance in any form. Without assistance, most of the youth to be served by the project have a poor prognosis for a satisfying and productive life.
The partnership established an alternative school where students receive computer-assisted instruction to increase basic skills in reading, mathematics, and language to the level necessary for entry-level employment. A life skills course provides a setting in which students explore their choices and behavior. Students also have opportunities for in-depth vocational exploration. The project has changed the lives of many students who most likely never would have returned to school and in many cases had hit bottom emotionally, spiritually, and financially.
The SS is located in the largest city in a rural, northeastern state. The city struggles with urban issues such as homelessness, AOD abuse, runaways, crime, and high unemployment. Several individuals interviewed for this case study stated that many people live isolated lives, with few family members or other supports nearby. The director of a social service agency working with the SS believed that, "The lack of family has caused emotional and spiritual problems for many."
For a number of years, jobs in the state were abundant and lucrative. However, as in many other parts of the country, the recession hit the state and the city hard. And funds once available for public programs, including public education, are no longer coming in. Public and private sector institutions are cutting back in personnel and programs because of budget decreases and deficits.
The school itself is housed in a downtown shopping area that was once the site of upscale stores. The street now has many vacant stores, which enabled the owner to donate space to the SS. The property manager said that the school would be replaced by a retail outlet if anyone expressed interest. He also said that he did not think the space would be leased very soon.
The project director and one of the teaching staff previously had worked together on an after-school project with at-risk students at a local high school. They had brainstormed about an alternative to traditional intervention efforts. The project director, who is a teacher at the SS, applied for a number of grants before the EPP and generated interest in what became the partnership project. The staff member with whom he had brainstormed was included in the grant. The project director also had previous contact with an employee of one of the largest companies in the state, who had assisted the school district by conducting employability training for students. The company became the first business partner for the SS.
In response to the challenges offered by the population served, the school district sponsored a number of alternative programs for students placed at risk. Consequently, it is not surprising that a project such as the SS was supported at the district level.
The vision, which was to create a program in which dropout youth could complete their high school graduation requirements or be supported in returning to a regular high school program, continued to grow as it was shared with partners and other business alliances. All partners agreed upon activities designed to reach the vision. The singular focus of the project made it easy to maintain the vision clearly, which seemed to support rapid full implementation of the project.
The SS began with the application for EPP funding. The project director, at that time a high school teacher, prepared a draft of the proposal. While doing so, he engaged in conversations with a number of business and community leaders, most notably the president of a franchise operation, as well as representatives from the health department and the youth shelter. He also identified the space for the program and was the proposed project director.
During the first year of the project, the school district was the grant recipient, administering the project through its curriculum office. Partners included in the proposal fulfilled their obligations, with the health department providing regular health screenings and working closely with pregnant and parenting students to ensure that they and their children received proper medical care. The health department also assisted young mothers in finding day care for their children. The business partners provided participating students with orientation to the world of work, and, to some extent, helped students find part-time jobs. And, the homeless shelter referred students to the program.
There were a few start-up problems, but, for the most part, the opening of the school was smooth. Students were identified quickly. The teaching staff comprised the project director and his colleague. Further, the grant included funding for a secretarial position, and the SS was fortunate in the decision of an experienced and nurturing woman to transfer to the program. Her rapport with students was excellent, and she developed and maintained a record-keeping system. Because of her close ties with the community, she was notified frequently of part-time jobs, which she shared with the students. On the other hand, the refitting of the store to meet code standards was more difficult and expensive than envisioned. Although the materials for the refitting were donated by a business, qualified workers were required by the municipal and educational code to meet student safety requirements. The SS began without serving the meals it promised, although when the building was complete, both breakfast and lunch were prepared and served by students and staff.
At the start, the SS had a board of directors that included representatives from the health department, the youth shelter, the school district, and the franchise. However, it met infrequently, and decisions were made by the project director and the school district. The health department had envisioned a somewhat larger service role and was moderately disappointed in its inability to influence the operation of the SS.
Leadership of the project was a problematic area at the start of the SS. The project director, who had been the major advocate for and implementer of the project, also was responsible for teaching. As project director, he viewed his role also as administrator of the project, which was not the district's intention, and he had problems fulfilling all his obligations.
The SS moved quickly into full implementation, addressing problems as they became clear. Further, although the focus of the partnership never altered, there were changes in the structure of the partnership and the roles that partners and staff played. This section begins with a discussion of the partnership structure, including how it changed over time. It then moves to an analysis of the program offered by the SS and its changes.
The SS partnership is moderately complex. There are multiple partners from both the public and private sectors. The project itself is an alternative, "last chance" school that gives high school-age students who have been out of school for at least six months the opportunity to receive their high school diploma in a nonthreatening, nurturing setting. Students are encouraged to and often assisted in finding employment during participation in the project.
During the first year of the project, the school district was the grant recipient, but in the second year of the partnership grant, the board of directors formed a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation, affiliated with a national community-based program. Although the school district remained responsible for the educational program offered to students, policy decisions about other matters were, at least theoretically, in the hands of the partners. The formation of the SS Board of Directors was designed to ensure greater participation of businesses and other agencies in the project as a whole. Previously, participation was limited to organizations attending only to the components of the project to which they were directly linked. However, members of the board expressed confusion about their role and, with a few exceptions, did not take an active role in program governance. Most believed the educational component to be the most important part of the SS and thought that it was well run so their input was not needed. At least two members of the board were concerned that the SS was a "secret," and hoped that board members would become involved in raising funds to support activities supplementary to the educational program.
Membership of the board of directors includes representation from the franchise, the school district, the health department, three large local businesses, and the property manager. The youth shelter, which is still involved with SS activities, lost representation on the board when its executive director left the agency. Although both the SS and shelter staff members agree that a replacement should be appointed, the policies and procedures for doing so are not well established.
An executive committee, much like a working council, was established and meets once or twice a month. Attendance at these meetings is consistently high. The board of directors convenes quarterly, with some members attending regularly and others never attending. The executive committee is attempting to establish a board in which all members attend the quarterly meetings and also take an active role in decisionmaking and policymaking. Project staff provide a quarterly report to the board of directors.
The board itself is still growing and learning about its responsibilities and tasks. One member saw the board's role as follows:
Another board member was sent to a week-long training session sponsored by the national community-based organization to find out more about what the board should be doing to garner public support and administer the project. In commenting on her attendance, a third board member noted:
One partner felt that not enough recognition had been given to his or her company. However, she never attended any meetings during which this issue could be discussed.
Several new members have joined the SS in the last year, including a marketing consultant. In addition, the school secretary serves as board secretary and represents the SS staff.
Perhaps the area of greatest concern has been the leadership of program operations. As noted above, the impetus for the SS came from a teacher, whose ideas were supported by a colleague. He garnered the needed support for the program and was key to preparing the proposal to OERI. However, from the school district's perspective, he was most suited to teaching the students and did not attend adequately to administrative details. Consequently, the district appointed a principal to the school, who was to serve as administrator for the project. The individual appointed as principal, however, had numerous other duties and both he and the project director agreed that insufficient time was being devoted to the SS.
Although both the school district administrator and the project director agreed that there was a problem with administration of the SS, they disagreed about how best to address it. From the project director's perspective, it was appropriate for him to advocate for the SS whenever possible. The school administrator believed that the district's commitment to the SS was strong, and that advocacy was unnecessary. These differences created some friction. However, by the end of the third year of the SS, a new principal was appointed to supervise the educational program. She also was principal of an alternative school and was able to spend at least one day a week at the storefront. Consequently, much of the confusion regarding individual roles and responsibilities within the project has been clarified. The present configuration, although still evolving, seems to be acceptable to all concerned.
The activities of the partnership are fairly straightforward, maintaining the clear and common vision held from the outset of the project. The project offers computer-assisted learning opportunities. In addition, teaching staff provide guidance in students' use of the computer-based program classes in building self-esteem, English, and social science, and also facilitate an AOD support group. Employability skills training conducted by one of the business partners also is available to students. All staff act as counselors and document issues much like case managers. Each staff member is responsible for students in his or her group.
Other services are offered by the SS. Free breakfast and lunch are provided by the project, and students and staff share in meal preparation. Tutoring is provided to students based on a request or need. The staff, supplemented by volunteers, organize many field trips. The SS regularly hosts speakers from the community.
From the start, the SS was able to recruit sufficient numbers of students. The school district sent letters to juniors and seniors who were enrolled in school in September and were no longer in school in February. Collaborating agencies such as the youth shelter and other local service organizations also were apprised of the project. Initial responses came from parents and students calling for more information. The staff interviewed students before accepting them to ensure that they would be serving youth who were able to work in the flexible setting of the storefront. The project began with 26 students in spring 1991. Since then, referrals have come also from the juvenile hall, participating students, and the health department.
Students seeking enrollment in the project have to be out of school for a minimum of one semester before they are eligible for participation. According to one staff member:
The students enrolled in the project are unique in a number of ways besides having been out of school for a minimum of one semester. Many have gone through several phases going from regular school to an alternative school (other than the SS), and then dropping out. To label these students as dropouts or failures in the education system would do them a great injustice. Their histories from difficult home environments and teenage pregnancies (the 60 students in the project collectively have 22 children among them) to AOD abuse problems have contributed to their current situation. This, however, has not prevented about one third of the students in the project from receiving their diplomas or GEDs and going on to lead much more productive lives than many cynics would have believed possible. The life experiences of the students in many cases have been extremely difficult; they found success, however, in the project. The following are some brief examples of students who have participated in the SS. (Facts have been merged to maintain anonymity of individual students.)
The stories go on and on, each with its own twist. Most students come from homes that cope daily with poverty. Many have problems dealing with their anger. Authority figures of any kind are perceived as threats by many students. Many of the students in the project have suffered from parental neglect and indifference. The staff members in the project demonstrate their care for the students and are willing to draw boundaries. For example, one student, who had been bothering other students and staff, was asked to leave for the day. He subsequently went outside and wrote a profane statement on the windows. He was brought back in and told that the behavior was completely unacceptable, that he was to wash the statement off the windows immediately and apologize to his fellow students and to the staff. He complied with all these requests and went back to his schoolwork. He is expected to graduate soon.
The storefront itself is fairly informal and flexible. Students are required to be present at the school a minimum of four hours per day. Also, they may not be absent more than 15 days in one semester. Other than these strictly monitored and enforced requirements, students have the freedom to schedule their own school days and work at their own pace. Participating students need 21 credits to graduate. They have options in this area as well. They can complete the required credits at the SS, take the GED, or receive a regular diploma, which requires them to take some type of advanced level courses to demonstrate that they have the skills to pass a college level class.
The SS offers one semester credit for 60 hours at the school. Generally, students receive credit for their presence, though staff members monitor students' progress on the computer programs and provide ongoing counseling. No letter grades are given to the work completed by the students on the computers.
The school also operates a Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) program through the city's Department of Labor. The program meets during the summer for approximately two months and includes courses in preemployability skills, nutrition, and physical education. It is an activity-oriented instructional program and involves youths who are not participating in the SS during the regular school year.
From an educational perspective, the curriculum offered through computer-assisted instruction lacks rigor. The newly appointed principal believes that her greatest contribution can be made in the area of curriculum and instruction. She said:
She regularly devotes time in staff meetings to discussions of learning objectives as well as social objectives. She intends to strengthen the curriculum, especially in the areas of social studies and science, through using more hands-on materials. She also is researching other software to augment or replace the computer learning system now in place.
The concept of school as a brick school building with bells ringing marking the beginning and end of classes, with set rosters and schedules, and governed by many rules and regulations has been altered by the SS. The SS began, according to the initiator, because the students he worked with, all "failing" school, believed that the atmosphere itself was part of their problem. In the SS, each student decides his or her own schedule as well as the pace at which students work and the level at which they begin. The only strict requirement is a cap on the number of absences per semester.
The SS also takes a much more holistic approach to students and attends to needs that go beyond their academic education. Small class size, individualized attention and counseling, and a self-esteem building course are offered by the SS and are not generally offered at a oregularo high school. Also, because of the small number of students who participate, staff members are able to monitor closely both academic and personal growth of students and intervene when necessary.
The freedom the SS is allowed from the district is due in part to its independent status as a not-for-profit organization subsidized by a number of public and private entities. The project's principal hopes to keep it that way and although he needs support from the district for salaries, he does not want the project to become ojust another district program.o
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[Storefront School Partnership Part B]
This page was last updated January 8, 2002 (jca)