Project Lead The Way
Community Partnership Team Guide
Your comments regarding this guide and its usefulness are appreciated. Contact Karen Wilken at kwilken@centurytel.net.
2006 Kern Family Foundation
Introduction
Congratulations on your decision to implement Project Lead The Way in your school. You are at the cutting-edge of a very exciting movement. The explosion of new technology has shaken business and industry. Many jobs are simply not done the way they were years ago, and other jobs were not even heard of in the generation of our parents. Scientific and technological advances continue to have a profound impact on our labor market. Many of our fellow educators have failed to recognize this transformation. Project Lead The Way will allow you to address this change and provide your students with the skills required to keep pace in the 21st century. Project Lead The Way and The Kern Family Foundation feel that part of the answer to program success and long-term sustainability are the Community Partnership Teams. The Community Partnership Team is a way to infuse educators and students with the collective wisdom that is available in the private sector. The primary avenue for tapping this knowledge and expertise will be your effective utilization of your Community Partnership Team. Your Community Partnership Team will represent business and industry, labor, parents and students. CPT meetings will serve as a forum for integrating and translating information from the world of work into practical methods for education. There are a number of ways that you can best utilize your Community Partnership Team. Curriculum and Instruction Advisement Equipment and Facilities Advisement Student Recruitment, Career Guidance Mentoring and Advising Professional Development for Teachers Community and Public Relations Advocacy for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
The purpose of this guide is to provide suggestions for greater and more effective use of Community Partnership Teams. Each section of the guide offers a step-by-step approach. Many of the suggestions have come from “best practice” Project Lead The Way schools. There has also been a great deal of research and writing on effective Partnership Teams and we have included some of that information as well.
Structure of Community Partnership Teams
Effective Community Partnership Teams clearly define the roles and responsibilities for all of the members. This section discusses the ways in which Community Partnership Teams are organized and explains the roles of the key individuals involved. Most importantly, it describes the interactions between the Community Partnership Team and other components of the school and community environment. Membership: Community Partnership Team members are drawn from the community: representatives of business, industry, labor, students, parents and postsecondary institutions. Recent research suggests that, “The most effective use of advisory committees grows from free-flowing, honest communication among all participants. Instructional staff and other school personnel should act as support staff and liaisons to the advisory committee; they are not voting members.” (CORD,2005) Community Partnership Team members need to feel that their time is being well spent and that they are making a difference. In essence they need to feel empowered. Size of the committee is an important consideration. Diversity and a good cross-section of your population are important considerations. Too large of a committee will not allow for good free-flowing communication. Another consideration is that, “many hands make light work.” If your committee has an aggressive Program of Work, you may need additional members. PLTW suggests that you have at least 3 engineers and 2 parents on your Community Partnership team. You may also want to consider having a representative from your school’s math and science departments and a school guidance counselor on your committee. Our suggestion is that your Community Partnership Team be made up of a majority of people from Business and Industry. Their long-term support will be vital for the program’s long-term viability. When recruiting committee members, you will find it helpful to keep in mind the reasons busy people choose to volunteer their time, and make a direct appeal to one or more of the motives that we have listed below. There are probably as many motives for serving on advisory committees as there are people who do it. People choose to serve because: They consider it a personal challenge to see what they can accomplish for the school and local community. They have a genuine desire to help students achieve. They are concerned about the shortage of Engineers and Advanced Manufacturing talent. They are concerned about the United States losing its global competitiveness. They want the first choice to employ the top graduates. They want to be good community partners and want good publicity for themselves and their businesses.
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The Chairperson: It is this person’s responsibility to work with the school facilitator to develop agendas and manage meetings. The Chairperson is the spokesperson for the Community Partnership Team and will represent the committee in meetings with school administrators, the school board and other community groups. Effective meeting management is also very important to the success of the Community Partnership Team. The Chairperson needs to ensure that the meeting atmosphere is supportive rather than critical. The committee chair should be able to draw on the expertise of individual committee members and not let any one member or school official dominate the discussion. The Facilitator: A representative of the school serves as facilitator to the Community Partnership Team. In general, this individual conveys the concerns, priorities and need of Project Lead The Way. The Facilitators play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the committee. They are sometimes asked to gather data to assist the committee with their review. They also coordinate the logistics of committee meetings and assume primary responsibility for communication. Communication includes such things as meeting invitations, agendas, meeting minutes, progress reports and other public relations activity. The Facilitator also helps the chair plan and conduct a productive meeting.
Membership: There are so many ways for you to utilize your Community Partnership Team. You may want to form sub-committees to address each of these different categories. Each committee should develop some very specific goals and objectives for each year. What are the qualities of a good community Partnership team member? How can you identify people who will make positive contributions to your program? Time, energy and knowledge of industry trends are perhaps the most critical consideration.
The above section is taken from: “Advisory Committee Guide” written by The Massachusetts Career and Technical Education Curriculum Resource Center, 2003.
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Program Of Work
Establishing the Community Partnership Team is only the first step. The next step is to ensure that the committee becomes active and remains active and effective. Setting and reaching operational goals and objectives enhances the effectiveness of the committee. At the first meeting of the year, the committee membership will establish a Program of Work. This document becomes the road map for the rest of the year. On a personal level the Program of Work will give individual members a sense of purpose. Successful Community Partnership Teams are made up of people who feel that they are making a difference. This is key to the motivation of committee members. For some recommendations on basic Program of Work activities, see the calendar at the end of this guide. Priorities for the Community Partnership Team usually fall into one of these categories: Curriculum Staff Development Career Development and Work-based learning for students Marketing and advocacy for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Student recruitment, mentoring, recognition and placement Program Resources Evaluation (of the program and the committee itself)
Some very specific goals and objective may be: CURRICULUM: 1. The CPT could review program content and identify where they could best supplement the lessons and student experience with local engineering talent and resources. Members should also advise on the academic, (Technical, Math, and Science) standards and methods. 2. The CPT may want to focus on industry expectations and how closely student skill, knowledge and ability meet these requirements. 3. The CPT should support relationships with two and four year colleges and universities.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT: 1. The CPT can ensure that there is adequate funding to pay for the initial teacher training and that there are new Technology, Math and Science teachers being sent to training as the program grows. 2. The CPT can help to secure opportunities for instructors that provide them with retraining, back-to-industry, and summer opportunities designed to upgrade their technical skills. 3. The CPT may want to investigate how local Engineers can support PLTW teachers. CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND WORK-BASED LEARNING 1. The CPT can review career guidance activities. 2. The CPT can arrange for occupationally related field-trips. 3. The CPT can arrange for student job-shadowing, internship and part-time job opportunities. MARKETING AND ADVOCACY THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP TEAM. THE CPT IS THE “BOOSTER CLUB” FOR PROJECT LEAD THE WAY. THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE KEY INGREDIENTS TO SUCCESSFUL LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY FOR YOUR PROJECT LEAD THE WAY PROGRAM. 1. The CPT should serve as advocates for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education. In conjunction with the facilitator, members should present information about PLTW to community groups, lending credibility and stature to the program. 2. The CPT should develop a marketing plan and a marketing calendar. This plan should include one public event each year. 3. The CPT should be involved in seeking legislative support from state and national legislators and policy makers.
STUDENT RECRUITMENT, RECOGNITION, MENTORING AND PLACEMENT 1. The CPT can help to promote Project Lead The Way classes to students in their school. Recruitment activities should provide special attention to female, minority, and economically disadvantaged students. 2. The CPT can recruit and manage a list of local engineering talent that can serve as mentors and assist students with class projects. 3. The CPT should review completion rates and support transition to post-secondary study of engineering and technology.
RESOURCES 1. The CPT can help to review facility and equipment needs and assist school in communicating these needs to local school board officials to ensure priority for PLTW in the district’s budget. 2. The CPT can help secure outside financial support for the program from business, foundations and the government. 3. The CPT can help to ensure that students are provided with the best possible equipment, labs, classrooms, and teachers.
EVALUATION 1. The CPT can review the effectiveness of the committee by determining the successful completion of the goals established in the Program of Work. 2. The CPT can review and analyze the Project Lead The Way test results and present these results to the local school board. 3. The CPT can analyze whether PLTW students are meeting workforce expectations.
The Meeting
There are a few guidelines for effective meetings: Try to streamline formal face-to-face meetings as much as possible. Provide materials for review in advance. This will ensure that the meeting time will be reserved for interactive discussions and decision-making. Meeting discussions should focus on the agenda, and every attempt should be made to involve each member. Time should be allowed for open, free discussion on the strengths and weakness of Project Lead The Way implementation. The Program of Work will dictate the frequency of meetings. Committee should meet at least twice a year. However, if a committee has an especially intense Program of Work, it may need to meet more often. You may find it necessary to meet more often in your first few years of operation. A meeting does not need to last long to be effective. The constant should be quality of content, not time. Most meetings will last one to two hours. Roberts Rules of Order can guide you in the management of your meeting. For more information go to: http://www.rulesonline.com/. Use Robert’s Rules to keep your meeting organized and running smoothly, but don’t let it impede the process and work of the Community Partnership Team. All Community Partnership Team Meetings should have written minutes. This is a key form of communication that will allow you to keep members informed. The Minutes are the official record of the committee’s activities. They help members understand the group’s progress, concerns, decisions and actions. It is not necessary to record all of the discussions. Keep it brief, easy to manage and most importantly easy to read. Basic format is: issue discussed, decisions made, assignments and recommendations made. Good documentation of committee meetings can be used to support grant applications from other organizations. Plan meetings with lots of notice. You may want to plan meeting dates for the entire year at your first meeting. FUN is also a major motivator for committee members. Every member should leave the meeting with an assignment and a clear idea of what needs to be accomplished before the next meeting.
Summer September
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Teacher Training Other professional development activities organized by CPT Hold the first meeting of the school year. Establish Program of Work Establish meeting schedule for the year Plan how to use community Engineers and parents. Recap last year’s progress and update on this year’s courses and enrollments Prepare ideas for general parent nights or fall conferences Press Release on new courses offered and team’s formation. Conduct a Facility and Equipment Review Identify Engineering talent in the community. Conduct a Budget Review for Next Year Recruitment Strategies for Next Year’s Students. Press Release on projects; some business-student interaction Prepare budget request Identify other funding sources Present Budget request Pursue funding sources Identify other potential engineers to serve as resources or CPT members Review Program of Work Accomplishments and Challenges Public Relations Event Present at school board about program update Submit Financial Report to Kern Family Foundation Evaluation of Committee Effectiveness Plan Student Recognition Event/Activity Final Meeting for the Year Election of officers Host Parent Night/ Student Recognition Determine CPT Membership for next year Celebrate accomplishments
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December January
February March April May