GUIDELINES
FOR
EDUCATIONAL
PARTNERSHIPS
Johanne
Stewart
Rose Andrachuk
Director of
Education
Chairman of the Board
Contents
Mission
Statement of the Toronto Catholic District School Board i
Foreword
.
ii
Acknowledgements
.
iii
Introduction
..
.
1
What
are Partnerships?
3
Who
Benefits from Partnerships?
4
Guidelines
for Partnerships
5
The
Partnerships Process
6
Appendices
A Partnership
Agreement -
..
11
Items for Consideration
B
Acquisition Considerations
.
12
C
Rationale for Selection of a Potential Partner
13
Mission
Statement of the Toronto Catholic District School
Board
In
a school community formed by Catholic beliefs and traditions, our Mission is to
educate students to their full potential by providing:
¨
leadership
in the shared responsibility for education that exists among the school, the
student, the family, the parish and the community;
¨
a
safe and welcoming learning environment that is an example of Christian
community;
¨
role
models of Gospel Values and Catholic doctrines, teachings and
beliefs;
¨
guidance
in what students need to learn;
¨
instruction
in the learning process itself;
¨
religious,
academic and technical instruction;
¨
integration
of Catholic, Christian beliefs into the total learning
experience;
¨
feedback
on the students proficiency and progress.
i
Foreword
The
Ontario Ministry of Education and Training defines curriculum as the plan for
student learning outlined in Ministry of Education and Training curriculum
policy documents and implemented in classroom programs through the use of a wide
range of resources (Ontario Secondary
Schools Grades 9 to 12: Program and Diploma Requirements, 1999).
There
are many programs in the Toronto Catholic District Separate School Board that
encourage learning experiences outside the classroom and thus add to the
curriculum. Partnerships are one
means of adding new possibilities for educational experiences that prepare
students for both post-secondary studies and the world of
work.
This
booklet outlines the definition, benefits, guidelines, and process for the
development of educational partnerships.
ii
Acknowledgements
Colleen
French
Superintendent of Education
Program Services
Frank
Meagher
Superintendent of Education
Special Services
Michael
OKeefe
Superintendent of Education
Secondary Schools
Mary
Anne OLeary
Superintendent of Education
Information Technology Services
Frank
Piddisi
Program Coordinator
Business, Computer Studies and Educational
Partnerships
John
Reid
Manager
Internal Audit/Risk Manager
The
reviewers of this revised (June 2000) document would like to thank
the original Educational Partnership Committee Members who did the seminal
work.
iii
Introduction
Learning is
a life long process which begins in the home and is formalized in school and
later in the workplace.
Business/industry, labour, community organizations and institutions, as
part of the same life long learning process, can enhance the learning
environment by working together with schools in relationships that are mutually
beneficial. Presently there are
programs that foster learning opportunities for students within the
community: Co-operative Education,
School-College Linkage, Career Access and Technological
Renewal.
Educational
partnerships are another means to provide students with access to new skills and
learning experiences.
The
workplace component of the life long learning process is rapidly changing. Canadas economic climate has been
altered by the globalization of trade and by accelerating technological
development. It is often difficult
for education to keep pace with rapid change. At the same time, it is important for
the Canadian economy to have students leave school with the appropriate skills
to find meaningful employment.
Michael
Porter, a professor at the Harvard Business School and author of Canada at the
Crossroads, a study
done for the Canadian Business Council on National Issues, suggests that a
closer relationship between education and industry is beneficial to all
involved:
Canadas
workforce is not well equipped for upgrading and change. The basic
skill
levels of many citizens are inadequate, in spite of high per-capita spending
on
education. Shortages exist or are
looming in skill and technology related
occupations.
Specialized
skill development is lagging due to poor vocational apprenticeship
training
and weak links between educational institutions and
industry.
Finally,
company investments in training are low compared to other industrialized
countries.
Toronto
Star Oct. 25, 1991
1
Introduction
The Ontario
Conference of Catholic Bishops refers to the writings of Pope John Paul II in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (The Social Concern of the Church) and
his concern over Interdependencies, relationships among countries that are the
result of economic changes and that cause social ills. They conclude their document with a call
for all people to work closely together for the good of
society:
The response to that interdependency, as the Pope points out, must be
a renewed
spirit of solidarity on our part.
It is in the spirit of solidarity
that we on
the 100th anniversary of Rerum
Novarum, invite Catholics,
the labour
movement as a whole, business and government leaders,
and all
people of good will to work together for the creation of a
genuinely
human society.
100
Years of Catholic Social Teaching, Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops, May,
1991
Partnerships
are a means of benefitting students while bringing a broad spectrum of people
together to work for the good of society.
2
What are
Partnerships?
Partnerships
are
¨
an
extended association between a school and business/industry, labour, community
organizations or institutions;
or
¨
an
extended association between the school board and business/industry, labour,
community organizations or institutions that provides a partnerships association
for a number of schools.
Partnerships
could be
¨
an
agreement between a school and a hospital that results in hospital resource
staff assisting in the health education and science curriculum and in the
provision of additional co-operative education placements;
¨
an
agreement between a school and a computer company that assists the schools use
of computer technology and provides valuable feedback to the
company;
¨
an
agreement between the school board and a theatre company that provides speakers
and resources to English and drama teachers in a number of
schools;
¨
an
agreement between a school and a grass roots organization which is focused on
raising awareness on issues such as the environment, native or indigenous
people, womens issues, peace, poverty from both local and global
perspectives;
¨
an
agreement between the modern languages department of a school and a language
translation company that allows for the sharing of resources and student
experience;
¨
an
agreement between the modern languages department of a school and a language
translation company that allows for the sharing of resources and student
experience;
¨
an
agreement between a school and a faculty of education at a local university that
provides opportunities for professional dialogue and development rooted in
teachers experience;
¨
an
agreement involving a school, an industry, a labour organization, and a
government ministry to provide resources and expertise in the development of
school-workplace apprenticeship programs;
¨
an
agreement between the mathematics department of a school and a corporation that
encourages female students to continue studying mathematics through career
shadowing of female employees whose work involves mathematics.
3
Who
Benefits from Partnerships?
Students
benefit
¨
from
unique opportunities to learn from people in the work
force
¨
from
enrichment opportunities that go beyond the school
curriculum
Teachers
benefit
¨
from
establishing contacts with other professionals
¨
by
receiving information that will assist in curriculum
development
Schools
benefit
¨
from
increased networking with the community
¨
from
heightened student and teacher awareness of the realities and expectations of
the larger community in which we live
Business/Industry,
Community Organizations and Institutions benefit
¨
by
enhancing public image through a demonstration of social
responsibility
¨
by
providing an opportunity to learn about the school system
¨
by
fostering a heightened awareness of Canadas social and economic
needs
¨
by
providing skills and experiences for students that will later be valuable in
the
workplace
4
Guidelines
for Partnerships
1.
Partnerships
must be consistent with the mission statement and curriculum objectives of the
Toronto Catholic District School Board.
2.
Partnerships
shall not contravene the policies and/or procedures of the Toronto Catholic
District School Board.
3.
In
developing partnerships, companies/organizations/institutions in the school
community should be considered first, since one of the major tenets of the
program is to forge community links for mutual benefit.
4.
Schools
that enter partnerships shall do so with company/organizations/institutions
which demonstrate good corporate citizenship.
5.
Partnerships
will be co-ordinated through a designated resource teacher acting as Partnership
Facilitator.
6.
All
partnership agreements will include provisions for an ongoing advisory council
and a joint evaluation plan.
7.
Partnerships
will be formalized through a memorandum of agreement signed by the Director of
Education or designate.
8.
The
first priority for the selection of a partners shall be the
company/organization/institutions ability to be of benefit to students and to
provide commitment and human resources.
The goal of successful
partnerships downplays financial and/or acquisition
aspects.
9.
Partnerships
requiring initial acquisitions shall follow the purchasing policies of the
Toronto Catholic District School Board
(APPENDIX B)
10.
Partnerships
that involve special education programs and services must consult SEAC (Special Education Advisory
Committee) prior to final
agreement.
5
The
Partnership Process
The
partnership process is similar to the model of Curriculum Review, Development
and Implementation endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Training and the
Toronto Catholic District School Board.
The process starts with an exploration or review of needs, followed by
the development of a partnership that is formalized through an agreement with
the partnering company or agency.
Implementation begins with a partnership agreement, which includes
provision for ongoing evaluation and further exploration.
The
next four pages illustrate how this process applies to an individual school
partnership.
6
The
Partnership Process
EXPLORATION
Notes/Questions
Complete
a school needs
assessment
What
are the needs of the students? How