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Innovation Network
- N e t w o r k i n g -
Consider this statistical twist: Children are 25% of our current population -- and 100% of our future population. What impact does your business have on the thinking strategies this 25% will use as adults?
The 25/100 statistic closed a recent TV documentary on NBC titled "Everybody's Business: America's Children", narrated by Katie Couric and underwritten by USAA (insurance and financial services). The show featured school-business partnerships by Kraft Foods, CMP Publications, Coca Cola, NationsBank, Lunardi's Italian Restaurant, Johnson & Johnson, and others large and small. The profiles were selected from nearly 300 company programs considered, a fraction of the total partnerships.
The assumption that in "school -business partnerships" only the schools "get" while the businesses "give" is outdated. New innovative win-win approaches are being devel- oped, recognized and encouraged. These programs are not just for large companies with lots of time or money. With some innovative thinking, any size business can contribute and benefit from the partnership.
School needs are well-publicized, including: civic support for funding, up-to-date materials and technology, continuing training for teachers, mentoring and tutoring for students with special academic or other needs, resources for school-related activities and clubs, ways to relate the curriculum to a successful life, and access to health and safety services.
What is not as well-publicized is the link between what businesses need and how partnering with schools can help. Here are just a few examples:
Enhanced development of employee skills -- communication, problem solving, peer training, and organizational skills from being involved in partnership projects.
Increased employee productivity and loyalty -- when companies provide even small amounts of release time for volunteers, morale and productivity are often significantly improved.
- Closer relationships -- by working with other for-profit companies or non-profit organizations in school partnerships.
- Access to the latest knowledge and concepts in universities -- through exchanges with MBA students, science/engineering students, student teachers, etc.
- An available pool of quality employees -- school-business partnerships significantly strengthen and improve school systems, and excellent school systems attract skilled employees.
- Additional human resources -- available from career-oriented student interns and students interested in school-to-work transition experiences.
- Well-trained, pre-screened employees for paid summer or entry-level jobs -- from the above interns and volunteers.
- Tax deductions -- from donations: computers and other technology, but also office furniture, paper, and other materials that could be creatively used in classrooms, studios, and labs (check with local authorities re: appropriate routing to school system, PTA, or non-profit school foundation).
Large or small, long- or short-term, school-business partnerships have enormous potential for all participants. One corporation assigns unused space to a cooperative of county health, education, and social service agencies, bringing existing expertise to a common site to serve teens. A tele- communications company facilitates remote instruction technology for a joint training program between a university-based teacher preparation program and a local school system. A small business team gives brief overviews of books about building thinking skills to school staff meetings, donates the books to the school library, then helps judge a school invention fair. An individual businessperson mentors an individual student.
Most Innovation Network members would strongly recommend that schools incorporate creative thinking into their processes and curriculum, to promote life-long learning and to enable students to apply innovative thinking to decisions, problems, and projects. School part- nerships can help facilitate these goals.
Advice and assistance for businesses is readily available. Many school systems have "partnership coor- dinators," Chambers of Commerce can offer guidance, and the National Association of Partners in Education provides expertise and publications.
Remember, the people operating our future businesses and communities will come from today's "25%." Our challenge is to design partnership options that provide win-win opportunities.
Jane Jacobs, founder of Educational Strategies, consults with business and education on creativity and innovation. She can be reached by phone (301) 340-2266, fax (301) 340-2241, or e-mail: jjacobs@cpcug.org