It is essential to evaluate partnerships to determine their effectiveness. Partnerships are usually formed between educators, parents, and community members with the aim of supporting and improving student outcomes. Once these partnerships are in place, it is critical to assess their performance. Evaluating partnerships also enable the relevant parties to make changes where necessary. Partnerships can be evaluated through surveys and annual evaluations of activities.
Perhaps the simplest way to evaluate partnerships is through surveys. Here, different people are given questionnaires that contain questions about various aspects of the partnerships (Bryant, 2022). Participants share their perspectives, suggestions, and experiences regarding an area of interest (Epstein et al., 2019). For instance, a survey on the amount of time parents spend helping their children with assignments will provide insight into parental involvement in education. The collected data can then be used to make improvements to programs that seek to increase parental involvement. Survey results should be shared with all relevant parties to increase participation in programs.
Evaluation can also be conducted through the annual evaluation of activities. Members of the Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) can hold a yearly meeting to discuss the progress made throughout the year (Jung & Sheldon, 2022). During these meetings, the committee conducts an assessment of the goals set at the beginning of the year against end-year performance. The members conduct a step-by-step evaluation of the progress made toward reaching each of the set goals.
In conclusion, the evaluation of partnerships is a vital step in ensuring their success. Schools, families, and communities cannot assume that partnerships automatically succeed. Instead, these parties must actively be involved in the analysis of progress. The evaluation also allows for modification of strategies to meet goals in the most effective ways. There are numerous ways of assessing partnerships, and the choice of evaluation depends on the parties involved.
References
Bryant, J. (2022). Using actionable surveying to drive student success. RNL. Web.
Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Sheldon, S. B., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jansorn, N. R., Van Voorhis, F. L., Martin, C. S., Thomas, B.G., Greenfeld, M. D., Hutchins, D. J., & Williams, K. J. (2019). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action (4th ed.). Corwin Press.
Jung, S. B., & Sheldon, S. (2020). Connecting dimensions of school leadership for partnerships with school and teacher practices of family engagement. School Community Journal, 30(1), 9-32. Web.