Abstract

Partnerships between schools and national service programs can succeed if implemented with the needs of the school in mind and buy-in is developed among the teachers and staff. National service and community volunteering programs shared their effective practices for placing volunteers in local schools during a problem-solving clinic on school partnerships at the 2001 National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Issue

Schools often can benefit from the experience and assistance national service members and volunteers can bring. However, with the ongoing pressures to meet state standards, raise test scores and meet students' various needs, they will likely need ongoing support from the volunteer program to make a partnership work. 

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Action

The Experience Corps in Portland, Oregon, places senior volunteers in schools as part of its Seniors for Schools program. Cindy McGean, director, and other workshop participants shared these effective practices for placing volunteers in schools:

• Require schools to apply to become a partner.
• Create a checklist for selection, which asks the school to identify a shared vision, a need that could be met by volunteers, and evidence the school community was involved in the decision.
• Recognize that a school operates within its own distinct culture, which includes rules and routines.
• Don't expand your program too quickly to other schools.
• If you're a Senior Corps program, include a retired teacher among the volunteer group.
• Involve school staff in training the volunteers so the volunteers are better able to meet the school's needs.
• Involve the appropriate teachers. For example, in the Experience Corps program, an English Language teacher was available to assist in training because the tutors would be working with many English as a Second Language (ESL) students.
• Have the volunteer training include information on the students' cultures. For example, information about the ESL students' cultures was shared and volunteers learned some words in the students' native language.
• Keep the adult/student relationship consistent. Some volunteers tutored the same student for two years.
• Include volunteers in staff trainings and staff socials.
• Have the school complete an evaluation of the program and then sit down with the teachers to iron out any wrinkles.
• Be willing to change.
• Ask teachers what they need to make the partnership work.
• Prepare teachers to work with older volunteers.
• Give teachers information about the background and skills of the volunteers.
• Encourage frequent communication with teachers as soon as problems surface.
• Increase face-to-face contact between teachers and program staff.
• Introduce more role plays into volunteer training.

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Context

Experience Corps in Portland, Oregon, is a Seniors for Schools program that places teams of older adult volunteers in youth-serving sites such as schools. Volunteers serve 15 or more hours per week to help children meet education goals, address the social and emotional needs of students, and strengthen family and community support. Service activities include tutoring, mentoring, adult literacy support, and a variety of special projects.

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Outcome

The Experience Corps program saw a decrease in the percentage of school staff who reported challenges in scheduling, volunteer training and placement, among other areas. This year, school staff described volunteers as "skilled", "well-trained," and "assets" where last year some went so far as to say they were "more trouble than they were worth." The program had fewer teachers who talked about the volunteers as "extra hands." In fact, one teacher said they provided "extra eyes, ears and brains." Teachers rated the volunteers' impact on the student's reading ability higher than in the previous year.

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Posted On

August 3, 2001

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For More Information

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Related Practices

• Thinking about sustainability and partnerships
• Building successful partnerships

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Related sites

Topic Areas

• Capacity building
• Partnerships
• School-community partnerships
• Start-up
• Senior Corps
• AmeriCorps
• Learn and Serve America
• Community-Based Organizations
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Schools
• Education

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