The Importance of Community Partnerships
Norm Green
1. Why should the community including business partners be more involved with education?
Noel Dempsey, Minister for Education and Science, Ireland, and Chair of the 2004 Meeting of OECD Education Ministers wrote, “These are important times for education in all the member countries of the OECD. The never ending search for competitive advantage in the global knowledge economy has led all public policy-makers to focus on education as a key factor in strengthening competitiveness, employment and social cohesion.”
This is an inevitable consequence of the increasing complexity of all our economies. Indeed, the pace of technological change worldwide is now so fast that, to a large extent, we must plan for the unknown. Mr. Dempsey goes on to say, “The only certainty is that education needs to drive these changes. If it does not, then we are all in trouble and we will fail our citizens.”
As we face the challenges of the 21st century, our success as nations, both economically and socially is tied to education. Of course, we want kids who can read and write and do math… the old fundamental skills. We also want them to be literate, culturally enlightened and environmentally aware. Instead of just developing the old fundamentals, we need to go forward, to define a new set of higher order skills suited for the information age and support schools so that they can teach them to their students. We must understand that because this new age is so challenging and the skills demanded of its citizens so new, that we can not expect that teachers can do what is needed without support.
Indeed, the old African proverb is so true, “It takes a village to raise a child.” And of course every village is confronted by the fiscal reality of escalating educational costs. The costs, which will continue to rise as the pressure to put more multi media technology into the schools, grows. The challenge for every nation is to rethink education by looking at the roles and responsibilities of all members of the community to contribute both opportunity and resources to the schools so that they can do the job expected by society.
2. How can partnerships benefit schools and the community partners?
For too long, schools have closed their doors to the community around them: but, times have changed. The world has become the classroom, as students connect to it each day through the music they listen to or the Internet they use. Being connected is their life, thus, to be unconnected to the communities they live in, makes no sense. There is a vast reservoir of opportunity sitting there, waiting to be used by the schools, in ways that benefit student learning. Those involved in community partnerships have identified six key benefits for the schools. These include:
1. Bridging the gap between parents, business and the community
2. Reinforcing school and student roles in a healthy and safe community
3. Improving public relations and communications
4. Developing connections for teachers and students to extend their learning
5. Generating partnerships to enhance student preparation to become better employees and citizens
6. Expanding opportunities to bring relevant learning situations into the classroom
An educational partnership can also have many benefits to community partners. Business and community organizations already involved in school partnerships report that their organizations benefit through increased staff morale, a sense of real learning accomplishment, and an enhanced public image through a demonstration of community responsibility. So both gain; schools have support in their attempts to develop competent adults for the 21st century and the community connects with future citizens and workers. To create such win-win situations, each of the players at school and in the community must understand and accept the role they must play.
3. What role can businesses play?
If businesses want to enhance their ability to compete, then they need to support the development of workplace skills, and to do that they must start putting their money and support were it will make the most difference. It’s admirable to support research and to build facilities for colleges and universities, to create what has been called elite universities, but businesses should remember that a very large number of young people will not benefit from their largesse. It’s time for corporate giving, whether in cash or in kind, to extend to the school system where the need is just as great.†
In addition to opening their coffers, companies can and must open their doors to students during their school years. Summer employment, job fairs, and mentoring relationships are just some of the ways that businesses can help kids to appreciate the kinds of jobs that are available, the kind of life-style they support and the kind of skills they must develop in order to qualify.
4. What role must educators play?
Obviously, teachers also have an enormous stake and role to play in this process. If schools are seen to be more relevant and responsive, the teaching profession, much maligned in recent years, will recover much needed respect and stature. Still, for some, needed changes may be tough to digest. Here I am thinking of things like welcoming outsiders, who are not certified teachers, into the classroom, developing networks into the employer community, spending time, even summers, learning about new curriculum changes, developing new competencies. All of these will be add-ons to already busy schedules.
We already expect a lot from our teachers, and, in the future, we will expect even more. But, we can’t just continue telling teachers to work harder, longer, and smarter and expect to get results. The job of teachers is not to produce workers, rather it is to produce thinkers who can work and to do that they will need the support of all members of the community including business partners. Let’s recognize that the community will have to add resources to the system to give teachers the tools they need to meet the expectations of their community and when they do, we should recognize and reward their efforts.
5. How does the Monchengladbach project fit into this partnership concept you have outlined?
The Monchengladbach programme is one such project where community partners have come together to provide support for the development of teachers and principals so that they can better teach their students. This partnership has been formed by members of the community including principals, teachers, city government, service organizations like the Rotary Club, businesses and the Ministry of Education in North Rhine Westphalia to create opportunities for teachers and principals. This project was designed to provide training for educators so that they might add to their skills those teaching strategies that will help students achieve at higher levels and develop communication, problem solving and teamwork skills. This programme, now in its second year, would not have been possible without the commitment and support of men and women of MG who felt that they had to do something to strengthen education in their community. Teachers have attended training in the evening and on Saturday, the partners have provided the funding and community support. Each has had to step out of previously defined roles to work together to create something that would benefit students.
I think the options for constructive involvement from employers in education are limited only by the imagination of teachers, administrators, students and the community. I think it is important to echo the sentiments of both educators and community members that the rationale for business involvement should have everything to do with helping kids to make wise career and learning choices. Other concerns such as developing brand loyalty whether in soft drinks or computer operating systems should not enter the picture. The issue is our kids, our competitiveness, and our country. †
6. Conclusion
Finally, I believe that business leaders must become far more vocal and effective advocates for the public education system. We hear them loud and clear about tax reform, health care and deregulation, but their voices fade when it comes to public education. Why is this? One reason, I suspect, is that many send their children to private schools. Of course, that’s a choice they are free to make, but in the process, if they lose touch with the schools, the schools lose a powerful advocate. That is why partnerships need to be formed that develop on-going working relationships between schools and interested individuals, businesses, government, labour, community organizations and other educational institutions.
Partnerships are win-win situations that serve the identified needs of the school as well as the needs of the community partner(s). Perhaps most importantly, partnerships can put business leaders back in touch with the school system and remind them that today’s students are tomorrow’s citizens and their future employees.†
http://www.kooperatives-lernen.de
No comments:
Post a Comment