Building partnerships between school and the community is a core idea in place-based education. As we start this process with schools looking to enhance their place-based teaching and learning, we often start with mapping the assets – potential, past, and current community partners – that could be or are already working with a school. Then, we need to consider how to develop and sustain those partnerships well over time. For Teton Science Schools’ Professional Learning, we try to curate and share best practices that we are learning from other educators about how to enhance and sustain these partnerships. We also consider and share how to make partnerships equitable so that both the school and the partner can find benefit from the relationship.
These are some of the educators and practices that we have learned from as we think about enhancing and sustaining equitable community partnerships.
From Sarah Anderson and her book Bringing School to Life:
Anderson shares examples and resources for community partnerships that the Cottonwood School of Civics and Science in Portland, OR uses. One resource is a joint planning document for defining what the partnership is, how they will prepare students and the partner for collaborative engagement, and making clear the points of contact. This structure for setting up a partnership and having it to revisit over the lifetime of a partnership can help the school and partner negotiate their relationship well and sustain their partnership beyond staff turnover.
From Tom Vanderark, Emily Liebtag, and Nate McClennen and their book The Power of Place:
The team in The Power of Place shares some excellent resources for considering partnerships across a variety of sectors and disciplines. Whether looking across the economy, ecology, culture, or history of a place, there are many possible individuals, organizations, businesses, public lands, etc. that could be interested in partnership.
From Jacqueline Yahn, Allison Ricket, and Tasha Werry and their chapter “Bridging Schools, Communities, and Universities” in The Middle of Somewhere:
Ask core questions like:
- What can I do for you?
- What expertise and knowledge can be shared?
- What is something new that we can do together?
When asking these questions between a school, university, and other partners, authentic needs and new opportunities arise. These questions as well as the examples and ideas that spark from them in the book chapter give great fodder to the idea that the results of a collaboration can be greater than the sum of its parts.
My colleague Heather Bender is the Native Education Outreach Specialist at the Center of the West recently shared at the Wyoming Native American Education Conference about her work and role that, “everything [that I do] is in partnership to build collaborative relationships.” As I think about the many ideas that I learn and apply from other educators, I strive to practice this same approach as Heather.
As, here are a couple of the big takeaways about community partnerships that Teton Science Schools’ Professional Learning brings to our school partners:
- Look broadly across sectors, and use the Place Prism as a way to try to consider many possible community partners.
- Opportunities for partners to learn from each other and grow their work through collaboration are rich!
- Set up structures, roles and responsibilities, and shared goals in order to make sure that partners are clear and have the tools to work together well.
As you are getting started with the school year, keep these ideas in mind, and please share with us (professionallearning@tetonscience.org) to let us know what successes you are having with developing and sustaining equitable partnerships.
