The SPS School and Community Partnership Department, in partnership with school staff and partners, have developed tools to support collaborative partnership practices. We recognize that many schools and parents already have strong systems of partnership coordination; we also recognize that it takes time to develop and sustain a strong system of coordination. The School and Community Partnerships department is committed to developing and sharing tools and systems to support strong partnerships.

General Partnership Tools

1. Racial Equity Questions for School Community Partnerships A guide for schools and partners to apply a racial equity lens to their partnership work.
2. School Community Partnership Summary A tool that can be used by schools to ensure partnership compliance, alignment, and shared expectations.
3. Youth Development Executives of King County toolkit Includes a number of practical tools that will help launch, expand and strengthen your school and community based partnerships.

Expanded Learning Tools (primarily for before/after school programs) :

1. Expanded Learning Tools Introduction Process recommendations on how to effectively use the tools
2. SPS Expanded Learning Inventory Work Sheet A tool to support identification of strengths and gaps in your current partner programming.
3. Space Use Worksheet to support the coordination of facility use based on licensing and other service constraints
4. Letter from facilities (issued in March 2017) that outlines the board approved priorities for school space use
5. Coordination and Funding Models to support alignment of partnership services to school goals and increased coordination of services
6. School’s Out Washington’s Quality Standards A resource developed to establish standards for program quality in afterschool and youth development programs.
7. PTSA Tools PTSAs often play a vital role in coordinating after school enrichment programming at school sites. We have developed tools to help PTSAs ensure that they are meeting legal requirements and setting up strong partnership systems.

School and Community Partnership Supports

If you would like assistance in reviewing your current partnerships, bringing in additional partners, setting up systems to manage your current partners, or to provide feedback, please email the School and Community Partnerships Department at communitypartnerships@seattleschools.org.

Visit the Forms page for details on some of the common process questions related to contracting with community based organizations.

Tools from around the Nation to Strengthen, Align, and Improve Partnerships

Oakland Unified School District Partnership Tools (guiding questions, letter of agreement template, community partnership identification tool, partnership assessment rubric, and check-in guides for key partnership areas)

School Community Partnerships: A Guide Coalition for Community Schools Partnership Assessment Checklist (see tools in Appendix I)

If you are using or are aware of other great tools for aligning and strengthening partnerships, please email them to Jill Leahy at jkleahy@253000xa.com