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Lisa Bushey (202) 667-0901
SIX SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS FROM ACROSS
THE NATION SET THE STANDARD FOR IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Top 2005-2006 National School and Business Partnerships Award Winners Receive $10,000 Each
WASHINGTON, DC (May 9, 2006) – Improving the academic, social and physical well-being of students continues to be a top priority of business and school partnerships across the country. In recognition of successful partnership efforts, The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships today announced the winners of the 2005–2006 National School and Business Partnerships Award.
The following six winners have each earned $10,000 to further the efforts of their partnerships:
- Anchorage School Business Partnerships (Anchorage, AK)
- Irvington Elementary School and Arnerich Massena & Associates, Inc. (Portland, OR)
- James Walker Elementary, Blue Springs R-IV School District and Cochran, Oswald, & Roam, LLC (Blue Springs, MO)
- School District of Lancaster and the Lancaster Partnership Program (Lancaster, PA)
- Lake Highlands Junior High School, Richardson Independent School District and Texas Instruments, Inc. (Richardson, TX)
- Pittsville High School Cranberry Science Class and Gardner Cold Storage and Trucking (Pittsville, WI)
Winning partnerships have compelling data that reflect a positive impact on student achievement, school improvement and/or the overall education experience. Utilizing clearly-defined goals and measurements, the winning school-business partnerships demonstrate significant improvements in attendance, test scores and grade point averages; reading and math acceleration; incorporation of technology in the classroom; expansion of afterschool and summer programs; career preparation; and professional development training.
“Strong school-business partnerships have a clear and powerful impact on student achievement,” said former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, Chairman of The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships. “Building the skills of our future workforce is essential to a nation operating competitively in a 21st century economy. When teaching and learning are supported in a real-world context, schools become more enriched places to learn and students are better prepared for academic and professional success.”
In the program’s strongest year to date, a significant gain over last year’s submission rate, The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships, founded by The Coca-Cola Company ©, received 330 applications from 44 states, including the District of Columbia. Applications came from schools of all sizes – elementary, middle, high schools, and school districts – and from all geographical areas – urban, suburban and rural. Businesses of various sizes were represented across many industries including health care, technology and finance. According to Melanie White, Director, Education and Youth Channels, The Coca-Cola Company, “School-business partnerships are a driving force in today’s educational landscape. The interest in this award program reflects the important role that school-business partnerships play in strengthening America’s schools.”
In addition to the six winners, there were six finalists:
- Forest Grove School District and Forest Grove Chamber of Commerce (Forest Grove, OR)
- Mastery Charter School and SEI Investments (Philadelphia, PA)
- Polytech High School and Multiple Businesses (Woodside, DE)
- Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology and Carolinas Healthcare Systems (Charlotte, NC)
- Baldwin School District and Mercy Medical Center (Baldwin, NY)
- Huron Valley School District and GM Proving Grounds & Test Labs (White Lake, MI)
“In addition to building test scores, attendance rates and afterschool programs, successful school-business partnerships improve communities and develop skills for the workforce,” said Dr. Paul Houston, Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators. “When schools and businesses join forces, they tend to approach teaching and learning challenges with innovative, ‘outside-the-box’ solutions. This award program recognizes businesses for giving back to communities and enables success stories to be shared along with programmatic models that other schools and businesses may follow.”
The partnerships were judged on how well they demonstrated success in four categories.
Foundation – how the partnership was initially established;
Implementation – how the partners work together on an ongoing basis;
Sustainability – how the partners work to sustain the partnership over time; and
Evaluation – the impact the partnership has on the business and
school communities.
Council members who served as award program judges were Dr. Terry Peterson, Director, National Resource for Afterschool and Community Education; Jay Engeln, former MetLife National Principal of the Year, National Association of Secondary School Principals; and Dr. Lewis Finch, former National Superintendent of the Year and superintendent of Cedar Rapids district in Iowa, American Association of School Administrators.
About the Council.
The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships, established in March 2001, works with educators and businesses to identify, create, recognize and support exemplary business-school relationships that improve the student experience in K-12 schools in the United States. The Council has focused efforts to date on a variety of partnership areas, including promotion of healthy and active living.
Based on interviews with nearly 300 school board members and educators, and more than 50 executives from large, medium, and small businesses, Council members have developed critical resources to help businesses and schools manage the process of building relationships that deliver both partners long-term benefits. Guiding Principles for Business and School Partnerships presents these key learnings drawn from successful business and school relationships, while A How-To Guide for School-Business Partnerships offers a practical road map to school officials and business leaders engaging in partnerships that improve the student experience.
Members of The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships include:
Chairman
The Honorable Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education and former Governor of South Carolina
Members
Dr. Paul Houston, Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators
Warlene Gary, Chief Executive Officer, National PTA
Dr. Gerald N. Tirozzi, Executive Director, National Association of Secondary School Principals
Brenda Welburn, Executive Director, National Association of State Boards of Education
Dr. Judith Young, Vice President for Programs, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
Dr. Terry Peterson, Director, National Resource Network for Afterschool and Community Education
Carlton Curtis, Vice President, Industry Affairs, Coca-Cola North America
John H. Downs, Jr., Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.
In addition, The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships supports a Resident Practitioner to help promote the on-the-ground development of effective school-business partnerships and a Superintendent-in-Residence position to support school-based health and wellness initiatives.
Jay Engeln, Resident Practitioner, National Association of Secondary School Principals
Dr. Gayden Carruth, Superintendent-in-Residence, American Association of School Administrators (shared position)
Dr. Lewis W. Finch, Superintendent-in-Residence, American Association of School Administrators (shared
position)
Case studies of the winning applications will be posted on the Council’s Web site this summer. For more information on publications and activities of The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships, please contact Lisa Bushey at 202.667.0901 or visit www.corpschoolpartners.org.
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