Alignment/ Collaboration
Arts & Culture: Community Connections
This research brief by The Urban Institute presents the findings from a survey of participants in the Community Partnerships for Cultural Participation Initiative. These results are meant to target providers, funders, and policymakers to assist them in increasing arts and culture participation, as well as building community connections. The authors highlight a major finding regarding community connections as a key to increasing participation in arts and cultural opportunities. 2002.
Arts Service Organizations: A Study of Impact and Capacity
This study by The Boston Foundation examines the role and influence of arts service organizations in Boston, other cities and across the country. Outlined are types of arts service organizations, available services, resources and funding, and suggestions for change. The authors discuss the impact of these organizations as well as the importance and impact of building partnerships. 2005.
Beyond Basic Training: Promising Strategies for Connecting Out-of-School Time Programs to Schools: Learning What Works
In response to the recent trend of linking the school day to out-of-school time efforts, the Harvard Family Research Project reviewed existing data to identify some key elements of successfully linking the two in order to produce positive outcomes. The authors describe five key elements of successful alignment including shared space, leadership support, shared staff, curriculum alignment, and a common vision. Fall 2006.
Building Constructive Partnerships in Urban School Reform
This chapter of Research Perspectives on School Reform: Lessons Learned from the Annenberg Challenge outlines the use of partnerships in school reform. It explains the background of school reform, the involvement of evaluators in the process, examples of beneficial partnerships, outcomes and lessons learned about building partnerships. March 2003.
Cultural Collaborations: Building Partnerships for Arts Participation
This article by the Urban Institute examines member organizations in the Community Partnerships for Cultural Participation (CPCP) to see how they have used collaboration to increase participation in arts and culture. Discussed by the author are ways to increase participation through partnerships, types of partnerships which organizations can create, and maintenance of those partnerships. January 2003.
Culture Builds Community: The Power of Arts and Culture in Community Building
This research report by The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation presents findings from an evaluation by the Social Impact of the Arts Project (SIAP) conducted on the Culture Builds Community initiative. The research showed that local, community arts and culture programs can have as big an impact on the community as do arts institutions and large-scale arts initiatives. The report presents reasons for investing in community arts programs.
An Initial Review of Education, Employment and Support Services for Boston's Struggling Students and Disconnected Youth
This report identifies the prominent youth service providers for various youth populations in Boston, and aims to compare the services provided with the needs of the population. Several themes emerged as a result of this study including, the need for more services, a disparity in the significant areas of need and the actual services provided, and overlapping services. The goal of this study is to foster collaboration, capitalize on available services and reduce gaps. January 2005.
Learning to Bridge - Bridging to Learn: A Model and Action Plan to Increase Engagement Between Schools and Afterschool Programs in Boston
Commissioned in 2002, the Program in Afterschool Education and Research (PAER) at Harvard Graduate School of Education offers a model and action plan to increase engagement between school and after-school programs in Boston.
Learning Together: A look at 20 School-Community Initiatives
Charles Stewart MOTT Foundation This executive summary provides an overview of findings from surveys with 20 school-community initiatives. The purpose of this report is to identify and describe key elements of school-community partnerships. The key characteristics are highlighted, followed by recommendations and descriptions of the participating initiatives. September 1998.
Linking School and After School: Strategies for Success
This article by the Harvard Family Research Project reviews one school’s methods of aligning the school day and their after school programs. The author describes the four main strategies for linking the program to the school day. These strategies are strategic thinking regarding staffing issues, utilizing effective communication, offering after-school curriculum based on the standards of the school day, and providing professional development. Fall 2006.
Making Invisible Work Visible: Using Social Network Analysis to Support Strategic Collaboration
This article by The Network Roundtable at the University of Virginia views network-building through a lens of social network analysis (SNA). It highlights how SNA mapping assists agencies in focusing and building their networks of collaboration. Various means of using SNA are outlined along with lessons learned from networks that have used it.
Making Smart Investments In Afterschool Policy Primer For State & Local Leaders
This brief by the After School Investments offers ideas for state and local policymakers to develop interagency collaboration, expand access to affordable after school programs, and advance general program quality. Examples of promising practices from across the country are included to show leaders concrete ways of promoting the sustainability of after school programs. August 2006.
Museums After School: How Museums are Reaching Kids, Partnering with Schools, and Making a Difference
This report by Insight presents the experiences of ten museums in California that have become members of the Museum Youth Initiative, providing after-school programs for youth. The authors discuss the impact of these programs, benefits of participation, as well as suggestions for program improvement. September 2005.
Out of School Time Matters: What Community Foundations Can Do
This report published by the Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth is offered as a practical tool for community foundations interested in the development of out-of-school time systems in their communities.
People, Places and Possibilities: Integrating Mentoring and After-School
This commentary by The Forum for Youth Investment looks at the fields of mentoring and after-school and looks at the connections between the two in terms of programs, policy, and research. It seeks to target the relationship between these services and how to form collaborations to ensure more comprehensive services for youth. February 2006.
The Reality Underneath the Buzz of Partnerships: The Potentials and Pitfalls of Partnering
This article by the Stanford Social Innovation Review looks at the benefits and disadvantages of building partnerships to provide program services. It examines the recent trend of funders requiring partnerships as stipulations for receiving grant funds. The author indicates that this method of forcing partnerships may not be the best practice as it was found that often when the funding period ended, so too did the partnerships. Some suggestions about measuring the success of partnerships are also presented. Spring 2005.
Report to the Special Committee on Youth Violent Crime Prevention: Working Together to Increase the Peace
This report by the Special Committee on Youth Violent Crime Prevention, Boston City Council came in the wake of an increase in violent crime in the City of Boston. The committee examined factors contributing to the rise in violence and the demographics of the problem including location, time and victims of shootings. Based on the data and findings, recommendations for dealing with this issue were made for the areas of resource alignment, school safety, police and public health. June 2006.
The Role of the School in Children's Out-of-School Time
This article by The Future of Children examines the many roles which schools are assuming in current trends of out-of-school time. The prevalence of school-based services is outlined with brief descriptions of the different program types. The authors discuss the various challenges with implementation, physical space and materials, program quality, funding and accountability. Fall 1999.
School Sites Initiative (SSI) Report
In response to the desire of City leaders to determine the most effective strategy for expanding after-school opportunities, Boston's After-School for All Partnership released “Opening Doors for Boston's Children: Lessons Learned In Expanding School-Based After-School Programs” in 2004. This four-year $2.6 million effort was lead by The Boston Foundation and Massachusetts 2020 and supported 17 schools and their community-based organizational partners. October 2004.
Tutor Training and Higher Education Involvement in After School Programs
This 2002 report by the Boston Higher Education Partnership (BHEP) details the involvement of higher education institutions in Boston’s after-school programs, benefits of effective collaborations between after-school programs and Boston’s higher education institutions, goals of after school programs and higher education in comparison, and the existing continuums of Boston-based after-school programs in which college students participate and after school/higher education collaborations.
Understanding the Market for Arts Education in Afterschool Settings
This study looks at the interest in arts education based on surveys of some 21st Century Community Learning Centers. This study indicates that arts education providers have the opportunity to expand arts participation of a new generation of young people by developing afterschool partnerships. The authors go on to discuss the availability and support for arts education and offer hints for building local partnerships to provide arts programming. 2007.
When School is Out, Museums, Parks and Libraries are In
In this commentary by The Forum for Youth Investment, the authors examine the role of museums, parks, and libraries in kids’ lives, and their involvement with out-of-school time opportunities. A closer look is given to the partnerships between these services and with other organizations. Finally, the report explores the importance of OST within museums, parks, and libraries and how policy can have an impact. January 2005.