Partnership Paradigm: Why and how should we shift from service to engagement?

ISACS Annual Heads of School Conference Thursday, January 29, 2015Chicago, IL

Unwavering commitment

“… Goodness without knowledge is weak, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous… both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to mankind.”-- John Phillips (1781, Exeter’s Deed of Gift)

Unwavering commitment, changing times

Parent School College CommunityPreparation

Engagement

Parent

School

Community

College

Spending on education: 1984-2012

19841986

19881990

19921994

19961998

20002002

20042006

20082010

20120

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000(in 2012 dollars)

Top Quintile Income Bottom Quintile Income

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Spending on enrichment: 1972-2008

1972 to 1973 1983 to 1984 1994 to 1995 2005 to 20060

2,500

5,000

7,500

10,000

3,536

5,650

6,975

8,872

8351,264 1,173 1,315

(in 2008 dollars)

Top Quintile Income Bottom Quintile Income

Source: Whither Opportunity?, 2011, Greg Duncan and Richard Murnane, ed., p. 11

Why does this matter?– Low-income students get caught in gaps– Low-income students more likely to drop out of high school and less

likely to enroll in postsecondary education, leading to:• Fiscal burden on taxpayers

– $300 billion in lost wages, taxable income, health, welfare, incarceration costs– According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, were the United States to convert

enough non-graduates into graduates to reach a 90 percent high school graduation rate, it would result in an additional $8.1 billion in increased earnings every year.

• Stagnating U.S. economic mobility – Workforce ill-prepared to compete in global economy– “…the current level of income inequality in the U.S. is dampening G.D.P. growth,”

S.&P. researchers

Strategic Shifts From: To:

Focusing exclusively on the achievement gap Enabling life long economic mobility by also filling gaps of opportunity, technology, dreams

Offering service learning opportunities to your own students

Having an impact and effecting real change in a community

Ad hoc projects that honor the special interests of faculty and parents

Purposefully focusing on communities as a key lever of change

Providing a single service program with little or no follow-up

Supporting long-term engagement for members of both partnering schools

Providing hours to community service projects Intentionally leveraging the unique assets of your school to solve problems

Benefits to Independent Schools• Offers a visible demonstration of public purpose• Develops motivated and informed diverse applicant

families• Attracts faculty and families committed to a diverse

school community• Provides summer employment and volunteer

opportunities for high school students, graduates and faculty

• Broadens donor base to include corporate and foundation sources interested in supporting programs that benefit underserved children

• Complements school’s development efforts

Leading a movement:The National Network of Schools in Partnership

We believe that public-private partnerships can be a key driver of success for students, schools and communities across the country.

We serve as the go-to resource for schools as they establish and enhance partnerships by providing:- Connection- Advocacy - Knowledge

Responding to the call

Since Spring 2013…- 108 Members, representing 150,000+

students- 15 Regional gatherings- 1 Groundbreaking, searchable

database- Featured by Ed Week, Edutopia,

Department of Education

Inspired and informed by our members

A single point of entry fornews and information

Only searchable database of programs in the country

Easy access to critical information

Framework for Effective Partnerships

Partnership in action

• Mission aligned• Clearly defined• Mutually beneficial• Powerful permanent relationships