Journal Article 7
More than Money Matters
Establishing Effective School-Corporate Partnerships

By Nancy Flynn
Learning & Leading with Technology
November 2007

With limited finances, many school districts find it hard to keep the newest high priced technology. Partnerships with corporations that specialize in technology help both the school and the corporation. The schools benefit from getting the latest hardware and software at reduced or no cost, and the corporation benefits from getting more control over what the students are exposed to and the curriculum the school uses. The corporation can then develop software needed by these students for at home use and hardware the students learn to operate and will most likely purchase in the future.
The Author list 10 guidelines a principal should consider when going into a partnership with a corporation.
Vision: Know what you want to accomplish with the materials the corporation is willing to supply.
Support for Technology: Make sure the school can support the additional hardware and software. And that there is staff available that can operate the new technology.
School Curriculum: Make sure the software fits into the curriculum of the school.
Collaboration & Communication: Determine what each side is going to give to the other. And who is going to be communicating between the school and the corporation.
Internal Capacity: Once the school has received the technology through the partnership, it is important to have people trained at the school to keep the technology going, doing any up-grades and maintenance.
Commitment: When choosing a company to partner with look at the commitment they are willing to make. Chose a company that not only gives free hardware and software but are also concerned with the students and their ability to use the equipment to the fullest.
Obligations: Know before you sign any agreements exactly what the corporation hopes to get from the school. And what the school will be responsible for in return for the free items.
Product Promotion: This involves giving back to the corporation, thru showcasing their products at state conferences, parent presentations, or having the students or principal talk about their experiences with the products at conferences.
Assessments: To be an effective partnership there needs to be communication between the two sides on the performance of the products. Assessments and evaluations on how well it worked and if it will continue to be a need for the students.
Longevity: The partnership should be reviewed on regular bases to determine that it is still benefiting both sides. If either side feels it is not getting the benefit it expected and a solution cannot be found the partnership should end.
Partnerships between schools and corporations can be a great benefit to both sides. Guidelines should be followed to insure that everyone understands the purpose of the partnership and how it can best serve each side.

Who deceides what corporations to partner with?
From the article it looks like the principal is free to make those decisions. In my opnion, the decision should be a group effort between the principal and the school district.

What is the benefit to the Corporation?
The corporation could team up with a couple of schools to test the software they have developed, and then have results when they sell the programs to other schools. They also get the students use to using a certain type of hardware or software and they are most likely to purchase the programs that they know.