Question 11
How does an agency provide assistance to school districts in modeling
ways to work together and share resources to promote school improvement?
STW Wizard Strategies
Strategy 1
The Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning is developing
many excellent partnerships with other State agencies. Interagency agreements
and working relationships are the goal of our State. One project - The Skills
Standards Project - is an example where funding and staffing are between
the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) and Minnesota Department
of Children, Families, & Learning (MNCFL). The agencies will also provide
assistance in developing strong local/regional School-To-Work partnerships.
An example is a series of workshops on partnership development that will
be provided this spring by MNSCU, MNCFL and the Department of Economic Security.
Strategy 2
I would suggest the agency become a clearinghouse for ideas and development
materials. They may wish to reward innovation and collaboration by creating
an award program with or without $$ awards. Publicity and a plaque may be
enough. State conferences are good places to reach a lot of people. You
may want to have a big kick-off and announce the first winners the next
year.
Our state (Minnesota) has an award process that has been developed to
recognize and celebrate those in local communities who are providing excellence
in transition services for youth with disabilities. It is called the Transition
Award of Excellence. The nomination form is VERY simple and those who meet
the criteria get an engraved plaque, nice certificates for all of those
involved and support through pre-developed media releases and letters to
state personnel. They are also recognized in front of their peers at an
annual collaborative conference.
The award is supported through a state level action committee that is
made up of representatives from state agencies, community service providers,
parents and students and is done in collaboration with our State Office
of Monitoring and Compliance. This award process could be developed by an
agency and then used for the purposes of recognizing excellence in school-to-work.
The Florida STW Office is doing that with a focus on recognizing employers.
They have combined the nomination from the All Means All Project and the
Transition Award of Excellence for their own state award process. They will
then be sending all those who receive the award forward to our project for
consideration. Click here to see what Florida
is doing.
Strategy 3
In order to share resources a common goal must be reached or a vision
for students and how they come to this is through meeting and talking and
sometimes incentives are provided to meet and some times mandates encourage
meetings. Each area is individualized. School board people can facilitate
this and students and parents can influence school board members.
School improvements are made related to needs and so a demonstration of what the needs are and why helps with this process. There are state consultants available to help with facilitation etc.
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