All schools are called to enrich the lives of students, to help them become our future civic, social and business leaders as well as give them the necessary tools to pursue their dreams. Most want students to be competitive and adaptable in a world that is in constant change. The changes that our schools and students face can be disorienting and a little scary at times, but with a little creativity and optimism, change also creates new opportunities. Sometimes when we least expect them, businesses and organizations present themselves as partners, but usually these partnerships evolve from planning and recognizing the opportunities we see to engage them with our schools. 1) Understand and communicate what the school can offer to a business, 2) Leverage large businesses that have plans for community outreach, and 3) Create opportunities to generate potential long-term clients.

To a business or a community organization, schools can sometimes seem mystifying. They see a building that has students come in the morning and leave before office work hours, and few understand what goes on inside the building during the day. Businesses and community organizations may see school as a daycare and not understand how creating a relationship with a school can be beneficial. Some businesses and community organizations are focused on their financial growth and do not see students as relative to their current business models; however, with a little time and communication, school leaders can help clarify how schools can help foster business and community growth and financial stability.    To speak the language of business, it becomes important to be familiar with school statistics, such as how many students are on any given site, how many students participate in athletics and activities, the numbers of participants in AP courses and other quantifiable data points. Having this data allows leaders to start conversations with outside organizations. For instance, school athletic programs are usually quick to garner sponsorships as athletic directors can usually identify how many participants come to a game on a given night; if 2,000 people come to the local football game, that is 2,000 future potential customers. To better enhance customer appeal, school personnel can help businesses design creative sponsorships such as bringing ticket stubs to the business for a discount. This allows businesses to track the success of marketing campaigns. Understanding student population and attendance should not be limited to athletics. Art and Digital Technology Departments can work with businesses on branding ideas, designing logos and even creating functional websites for businesses. This not only creates opportunities for students to engage in meaningful learning but can allow businesses to experiment with new products while students get an opportunity to boost their college résumés.

Most schools have robust music and theater programs as well. Schools may even have community-specific events or days such as Back to School Night or Open House that can become perfect places to show communities the benefit of the partnership.

It is not uncommon to hear the criticism that large businesses are too focused on giving to large philanthropic organizations and are too far removed from local school sites. Although this is true in some cases, assuming this type of ideology shuts down potential avenues for partnerships. Most large businesses have it as a part of their mission to give back to the community; sometimes it is a matter of finding out how to connect in a meaningful way. One way is to target and learn about specific companies by analyzing their mission statements and ventures to help community organizations. Such research may lead to a discovery of common interests that are not often explored.

For example, many schools have partnerships with Special Olympics, community service organizations such as the Kiwanis or Lions Club, to name a few, or even professional sports organizations. Having a school host a Special Olympics event, work on a community outreach with a local club, or even helping design a holiday event, such as a Turkey Trot Fun Run for the community, can be beneficial for all parties. During these events, school leaders can showcase their site and students, giving business representatives an actual understanding of how their support and partnerships affect current and future students. Professional sports teams are another large business that continues to support our schools. For example, most professional sports teams have “service to community” as part of their mission and may be open to helping out their local schools. This could take a variety of forms from financial donations, athlete appearances, tickets for specific groups of students (e.g., a school designated group such as high achievers or those who meet certain attendance criteria) and even job shadowing opportunities.

Professional sports teams are not solely limited to the highest levels of competition. Minor League Baseball teams and developmental basketball leagues have consistently worked with schools to hire students for paid positions as well as working internships.

Although not all businesses see students as essential for their future, school leaders do have opportunities to showcase our students in ways that benefit long-term business sustenance and growth. For instance, local financial credit unions are usually involved in their communities and looking for ways to communicate with families and potential customers. What is becoming more commonplace are financial literacy school events that take place during or after the school day. Credit unions send their personnel to school sites to help bring math alive with seminars and workshops about long-term financial planning. Such an event serves as a mutual benefit to both students and businesses; businesses have the opportunity to generate future customers and students get experiential knowledge on how to plan for a financial future. Also, some financial institutions even provide an added benefit of giving students free monetary accounts to encourage students to learn positive money habits.

School leaders have to exercise responsibility and follow district and state guidelines in creating opportunities for organizations and businesses to interact with students, but exposing students to community organizations has benefits. The work that community service organizations do regularly has definitive impacts in our communities. Whether it is collecting funds for backpacks to give away at the beginning of the school year or increasing awareness about how to maintain healthy habits to combat diseases, when students get the opportunity to see how service community organizations work, they have the opportunity to unlock passions that they may not yet fully realize. For the community organization, meeting with students allows them to continually grow and stay relevant.

Creating high school partnerships can be challenging work, but it can be rewarding. When school leaders can understand and communicate what schools have to offer, leverage and align the goals of businesses with the school, and understand how much potential our students have, they set the stage for a successful partnership. Once leaders have found their common starting point, they have the potential to create synergistic, long-lasting partnership that is meaningful for all stakeholders and better prepares our students for a successful future.

---

Steve Amaro is an assistant principal at Freedom High School in the Liberty Union High School District.