Business, Education Leaders Recognize Six School-Business Partnerships as National Models; $10,000 Awarded to Each for Improving Overall Student Experience 6/16/2004
From: Southard Davis, 202-667-0901 WASHINGTON, June 16 -- In recognition of the value that partnerships between schools and businesses bring to improving the academic, social and physical well-being of students, The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships announced today the winners of the inaugural National School and Business Partnerships Award. The following six winners will receive $10,000 each to further the efforts of their partnerships: -- Charles Eliot Middle School and Ferro Corporation (Cleveland, Ohio) -- J.B. Sutton Elementary School and Intel (Phoenix, Arizona) -- Lakeshore Public Schools and Cornerstone Alliance (Stevensville, Michigan) -- Richland County School District One and Palmetto Health (Columbia, South Carolina) -- The Accelerated School and Wells Fargo (Los Angeles, California) -- Westminster Community School and M&T Bank (Buffalo, New York) Each of the partnerships made a positive impact on student achievement or school improvement. Outcomes were well-documented and included significant increases in attendance rates, reading acceleration, advancements in technological awareness, expansion of after-school programs, career days, professional development training and health screenings. In addition, the winning partnerships were driven by solid collaboration, and each succeeded in meeting clearly defined and measurable objectives in support of the core educational goals of schools. School-business partnerships are growing and expanding, becoming an increasingly important part of the school landscape. According to research provided by the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships, nearly 70 percent of all school districts now engage in some form of business partnership, contributing an estimated $2.4 billion and 109 million volunteer hours to schools, and impacting the lives of an estimated 35 million students. "We are delighted to have an opportunity to celebrate school and business partnerships," said Former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, chairman of The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships. "The Council reviewed applications that told remarkable stories about how schools and businesses are working together to make a difference in the lives of students, parents, teachers and schools. We are formally recognizing six of the most outstanding partnerships with this year's award, but all of the partners should be very proud of the work they are doing to improve our nation's schools." The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships received 354 applications from 42 states and 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 were represented across various industries including health care, automotive, technology and finance. In addition to the six winners, there were 11 finalists: -- 10 School Districts and Panasonic Foundation (Multiple Districts, USA) -- Bay District Schools and Peoples First Community Bank (Panama City, Florida) -- Brookhaven School and Monongalia Health System (Morgantown, West Virginia) -- Dickson County School System and Dickson County Chamber of Commerce (Dickson, Tennessee) -- Granite Bay High School and Intel Corporation (Granite Bay, California) -- Ingham Intermediate School District and UAW-GM Center for Human Resources (Mason, Michigan) -- M. Agnes Jones Elementary School and Georgia-Pacific Corporation (Atlanta, Georgia) -- Mesa Public Schools and Boeing (Mesa, Arizona) -- Norfolk Public Schools and Greater Norfolk Corporation (Norfolk, Virginia) -- Palisades High School and Amplifier Research (Kintnersville, Pennsylvania) -- Western Village Academy and INTEGRIS Health (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) "Our company and thousands of others, large and small, have been helping to support schools and communities for years," said Carlton Curtis, vice president, Industry Affairs of Coca-Cola North America. "As the founding corporate member of the Council, we want to help raise awareness about the phenomenal things that can happen when schools and businesses come together to improve our nation's schools. These partnerships demonstrate that businesses and schools can work together to yield positive results for everyone involved." The partnerships were judged on how well they demonstrated success in four categories. The categories include: 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. The judging was conducted by four Council members, Joel Herbst, Principal, South Plantation High School; Mike Moses, Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District; Delia Pompa, Former Executive Director, National Association for Bilingual Education; and Gerry Tirozzi, Executive Director, National Association of Secondary School Principals. Founded by The Coca-Cola Company in 2001 to identify, create, recognize and support exemplary partnerships between businesses and schools, the Council serves as a forum for the exchange of information, expertise and ideas to ensure that partnerships between schools and businesses achieve their full potential for meeting key educational objectives. The first initiative of The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships was to create Guiding Principles for Business and School Partnerships, a report which describes the qualities of some of the nation's most successful school-business relationships, and provides direction for schools and businesses that are interested in forming, maintaining or improving successful school-business partnerships. The report shares insight gained from interviews with more than 300 educators and more than 50 executives from large, medium and small businesses. The Council recently issued another helpful tool, A How-To Guide for School-Business Partnerships, an instructional booklet designed for school officials and business leaders who are interested in engaging in school-business partnerships. These two pieces serve as guides for applicants of the National School and Business Partnerships Award. Members of The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships include: Chairman The Honorable Richard Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education and Governor of South Carolina Members The Honorable John Engler, President of State and Local Government and Vice President of Government Solutions for North America, Electronic Data Systems (EDS); Dr. Susan Fuhrman, Dean, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania; Ms. Warlene Gary, Chief Executive Officer, National PTA; Mr. Joel D. Herbst, Principal, South Plantation High School; Dr. Paul Houston, Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators; Quentin R. Lawson, Executive Director, National Alliance of Black School Educators; Dr. Mike Moses, Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District; Delia Pompa, Former Executive Director, National Association for Bilingual Education; 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, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; Carlton L. Curtis, Vice President of Industry Affairs, Coca-Cola North America; John H. Downs, Jr., Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. For more information on The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships, the National School and Business Partnerships Award, the Guiding Principles for Business and School Partnerships, or A How-To Guide for School-Business Partnerships, please contact Southard Davis at 202-667-0901 or visit http://www.corpschoolpartners.org. |