Strategies for Creating Successful Corporate Partnerships

Building on Chapter Eight of TECHNOLOGY IN ITS PLACE, Chapter Nine by John Richards reflects on the delicate nature of partnerships between schools and the private sector. While endorsing the value of vision-anchored partnerships, this chapter suggests that schools need to approach potential collaborators from a strong visionary and moral base, knowing what they want to accomplish, why, and why it is important.
Cable in the Classroom is broad-bandly discussed. Cable is in the Classroom is a news show boardcasted at 4am by CNN and schools are suppose to record it and show it during the school day. In my school district, we has something similar called "Channel One". "Channel One" is a 15 minute teen-orientated current to the day it is broadcasted with two commercial breaks with teen products (deodorant, acne products and cell phone providers). I personally love the concept. I show it everyday in my Advisory and I only wish I had TiVo so, I could stop and discuss instead of waiting until the production is over. I just love current events with student...especially discussing the war and its issues.
Getting back to the Chapter Nine and private sector partnerships...I truly feel that everything was written pre-9/11. In fact it was. John Richards has great points but, I'm not so sure that the political and economic state of many business are able to donate efforts that are not profitable to their businesses at this moment in time. Case in point, I live within a school district boundaries that employees one of the largest cellphone research and development manufacturers. Unfortunately this company has fallen into third place in the economic world and is experiencing major lay-offs. Maybe these unemployed daddies and mommies would consider volunteering in the local public school but, I don't think it is going to happen. Even Junior Achievements has fallen away from being a strong force in education in elementary schools and part of the reason is because school just don't want the "unknown" people in their schools and interacting with their students. Yo John Richards, it's a whole new world in public school since 9/11.