Work Together.

Consult a wide variety of groups and citizens active in the community. Let local groups and citizens buy in and feel ownership by determining their own needs, choosing the educational issues that affect them, and recognizing their capacity to help.

Assess Needs.

Develop a checklist with questions such as:

* What do you see as barriers to children's learning in our community? How can they be overcome?

* What are you currently doing to implement high standards in every classroom in your community?

* What are you doing to help children who need extra assistance?

* What steps need to be taken so that children in your community read well by the end of the third grade, succeed in math and algebra by grade eight, think about and prepare for college, and benefit from after-school and summer enrichment programs?

* What can you do to strengthen high schools and help more teenagers get, and stay, on the right track?

Think about the different perspectives and interests in your community: what cultures, languages, faith groups, ages, business sectors, education institutions, cultural organizations, and so forth are represented. Identify communication links and networks, so you understand how information travels and how people become connected in the community. One network may be the school system or a community leader who occupies several positions (for example, a business leader who is also a member of a faith community or a Scout leader).

Survey Resources.

Find out how people in your community would be willing to help. Talk to schools about their volunteer opportunities and needs. Speak with employers about providing time off for employees to improve schools, and to senior citizen groups, colleges, and universities about tutoring and mentoring. Contact local arts organizations and museums about providing cultural activities for children both inside and outside the schools.

Share Information.

Ask community representatives from national associations and organizations about available activities and resources for local members to use in planning and building partnerships and share this information with your teachers, parents, and principals.

Seek Out Experienced Collaborators.

Are there people in your community or state who are experienced in building coalitions? Ask them to give a presentation on building partnerships. Get information on how to make sure the right players are at the table, on what the individual roles and responsibilities of participants should be, on how to work with schools, and on examples of successful local partnerships.

Set Goals.

Set clear goals for your partnership. Make sure these goals fit with the aims of the participating organizations and people. Encourage involvement in a way that will spark interest, fulfill needs, and match community capacity. For example, in Bennington, Vermont, small businessman Terry Ehrich pondered, "If the first day of hunting season is a state holiday, why not the first day of school?" That question resonated with the community and helped make his first-day-of-school celebration a bigger success, bringing thousands of parents and community members into over 60 local schools to help students and teachers get off to a good start for a new school year.

Decide on Measures of Success.

Based on the goals you set, what are the indicators of success? Agree on a set of indicators and how to measure them. School districts and businesses routinely evaluate their performance -- ask for their advice and help in creating consistent and realistic evaluation tools, including means for gathering hard data, as well as anecdotal evidence, surveys, and other reporting mechanisms. Include evaluation as a key ingredient in improving your partnership from the very beginning.