One of the facets 21st century schools have in common is partnerships with business and higher education.  Many schools and districts already have partnerships that can be maximized with a willingness to recognize that:

• Students continue to fail to see a connection between what is happening in their classrooms and their future lives.
• Teachers do not have experience working in the fields of their content area.
• Targeted professional development that would bridge that gap is often an onsite visit or two or three conference days.

Partnerships have value far beyond a fiscal one. The notion equating a partnership with money donated is becoming archaic. As a matter of fact, some of the most successful partnerships do not include money at all.  Both business and higher education partners have contributed to improving the students' learning experience with support for teacher professional development, co-teaching and internships. Read more...