Partnership Roles and Meeting Essentials
Definition: There are formal processes, structures and outcomes established among school, employers, and employment related agencies, community agencies, and postsecondary institutions, which clearly articulate the roles and responsibilities to assure the following occur in culturally appropriate ways: a) methods of communication for all parties, b) information-sharing protocols, c) referral protocols, d) service and task responsibilities, e) funding responsibilities, and f) points of contact.
Partnership guides and training
- The Transition Coalition offers a free online training module, Interagency Collaboration: the Groundwork. It gives examples and strategies to help you build or strengthen your team. It is includes videos and interactive activities and will probably take a bit over an hour to complete.
- Partnering for Student Success: A Practical Guide to Building Effective School-Based Partnerships (PDF, 104 pages, 2016). This toolkit resulted from a study of partnership coordination efforts in Philadelphia, PA. Breaks the process into six elements and provides roles and responsibilities, sample conversation topics, and questions and resources for each element.
- Creating a Successful School/Business Partnership: A Guide for Schools and Businesses (PDF, 13 pages, 2020) from the Greater Baltimore Committee. It’s a partnership guide to provide guidance and best practices to both school-based partners and business partners.
- A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities (PDF, 62 pages, 2017) is a comprehensive overview of how state, local school districts and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) work together with students and families to plan for the future. It links elements of good transition planning back to the related legislation. From the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education.
School business partnership examples
Timberlane Regional School District Community Partnership Program in New Hampshire. Pages include descriptions of current partnerships and projects, application forms. Local and regional businesses and community organizations big and small can team up with specific schools in Timberlane district or with the district as a whole to help contribute to the academic and personal success of every student.
School Business Partnerships in Anchorage, Alaska connect more than 600 school and business partners in collaborations that benefit their schools and community.
Success stories of school-business partnerships in schools across the country, from Education World.
- Sample of an transition-focused agreement between several state level agencies in Wisconsin (PDF, 15 pages, 2010). Useful to see they divide and describe responsibilities. The file is in a public Dropbox account – you may have to click a No-thanks-just-show-me-the-file-box.
Communication methods
- The Seven Norms of Collaboration Toolkit, (PDF, 26 pages, 2019) from the Thinking Collaborative, is a valuable tool for developing and sustaining productive group interaction. One page flyer of the seven norms. U.S. Department of State training manual page on the seven norms.
- Blog about presuming positive intentions from Maryclare Heffernan.
Federal systems
The Literature Review of Five Federal Systems Serving Transition Age Youth with Disabilities (PDF, 66 pages, 2013) from the US Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), covers each system’s role, its use by the population, central programs and authorizing legislation, challenges and recommendations, and common themes and trends. The five systems are:
- vocational rehabilitation
- social security
- juvenile justice
- behavioral health
- workforce investment
Updated 6/21/22