February 17, 2010

The Center for American Progress recently released a new report (Expanded Time, Enriching Experiences) about school-community partnerships in Expanded Learning Time schools. The report profiles the innovative ways three community-based organizations collaborate with ELT schools in Massachusetts and the successes and challenges they face in doing so.

The report found that partnering with community-based organizations to serve multiple stakeholders in ELT schools (students, teachers, families) is a strategy that promotes integration and sustainability, and that this sort of deep partnership requires management infrastructure at both the school and partnering organization.
Defining measurable outcomes for partnership and enrichment programming remains a challenge for ELT schools, but the report authors cite the ELT Expectations & Indicators, Quality ELT Partnerships tool, and the new Performance Agreements as key resources in supporting schools and partners through this process.