Partner Build Grow
Partner Build Grow is an Action Guide for sustaining community and school-based approaches that develop students’ cognitive, social, emotional, and physical health and contribute to educational success.
The practical steps and tools will assist school administrators, program directors, civic leaders, and other stakeholders develop plans to maintain and strengthen programs that give children the skills they need to flourish.
“[Partner Build Grow]…is a very comprehensive action kit and pitched at the right level for people on the ground to help them take the best steps to be effective. In thinking about intermediaries as entrepreneurs to make things happen, I think this will be a great tool.”
– Stuart M Butler, PhD
Senior Fellow, Economic Studies
The Brookings Institution
The Guide lays out four key strategies that stakeholders can adapt to the unique circumstances of their communities, as well as guidance on how to measure progress and assess outcomes for each recommended step. The strategies are not sequential and stakeholders in any phase of development will find the tools valuable. The four-pronged strategy includes:
- Mapping Assets – Builds on the school and community-based programs currently in place. Mapping these resources builds relationships among citizens, policymakers, and professionals as they work together to identify both existing programs and services and any gaps that need to be filled.
- Building an Action Team – Prioritizes networking and building/strengthening relationships with those who share your goals, have political clout, and can help navigate the world of financing for public services.
- Connecting with the Policy Environment – Requires keeping abreast of the larger state and federal policy picture and of state and local budget and funding processes. Knowledge of and participation in the right networks enables you to attach your initiative to the policy goals being advanced in a broad array of sectors you might not have considered.
- Communications – Emphasizes framing positive messages that connect diverse stakeholders’ priorities with the universal student support, youth development, or educational initiatives you are advancing.
The steps or action components described are not linear; they are dynamic and often happen simultaneously, overlap, or are influenced by one another so that you may have to circle back to a previous step and adjust the activities to match the current reality. By engaging in a continuous improvement process guided by assessment, you will be able to determine whether program or partnership objectives are being met.
Harrisonburg City Public Schools
April Howard with Harrisonburg City Public Schools discusses the benefits of school-community partnerships and their successes in Building an Action Team in their school community.
Cincinnati Public Schools
Monica Battle with Cincinnati Public Schools discusses the benefits of school-community partnerships and their successes in Mapping Assets in their school community.
Unique Features of the site:
- Users will have the option of creating a profile in the Action Guide database that allows bookmarking of desired content and pages while browsing.
- Practical tools and success stories are available for download for each of the steps to help users organize information, track progress, and communicate with key stakeholders.
- Users can submit success stories in their own communities to share on the site.
To receive Action Guide updates, please email us at: chhcs@gwu.edu