Author : James A. Niedermeier
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (115 download)
Book Synopsis School-business Partnerships in the Capital Region of New York State by : James A. Niedermeier
Download or read book School-business Partnerships in the Capital Region of New York State written by James A. Niedermeier and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent literature indicates that most public schools have some manner of partnership with businesses (DeHaviland Associates, 2007; Orsini, 2016; Rivkin et al., 2014); however, there is criticism that such partnerships lack clear evidence of positive student outcomes and that the products are simply not worth the expense and effort used to construct and maintain them (Brent & Lunden, 2009). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the practices of school districts in the Capital Region of New York State in establishing relationships with for-profit businesses. Specifically, the research focused on the purposes and impact of these partnerships as well as the logistical and ethical obstacles that stand in the way of success. The research focused on three case studies of school districts with established partnerships as identified by experts in the field. Data were gathered through interviews, documents, and observations of school-business interactions. Key findings included that districts established partnerships for the purpose of authentically addressing 21st century skills, professional learning, and community relations. It was also found that the districts studied did not establish clear measurements for success on the impact of school-business partnerships and had few policies or processes in place to guard against ethical dangers or measure partnership success. From these findings, it was suggested that: 1) State legislation should focus on encouraging business to be co-equal partners with schools; 2) Boards of Education should adopt baseline policies safeguarding students; 3) Boards of Education should adopt policies to ensure equal access to experiential learning; 4) school districts should establish clear goals for accountability; 5) school districts should establish formal processes for entering partnerships; and 6) school districts should work to establish true collaborative partnerships with businesses. It was also recommended that future research should expand the scope of this study, limit the focus to specific kinds of partnerships, and shift to the study of how schools can make partnerships better instead of focusing on whether or not they should take place.
