Businesses Step Up For Local Schools

CHICAGO (TheStreet) -- With state budgets stretched to the limit and federal stimulus dollars long since spent, school districts across the country are strapped. Already, many have announced significant cuts for next school year.

At the same time, there are legitimate concerns that U.S. students are less able to compete with their counterparts overseas. How can schools continue to challenge students -- especially in science and math -- while cutting staff and extracurricular activities?

Partnerships between small business and public schools have existed for decades, but they've become especially relevant with the growth in state budget deficits.

By turning to local businesses for help. The benefits run both ways: Schools tap into a large network of potential volunteers who can show how academic skills translate into a real-world career, while businesses not only get the satisfaction of doing good in their community, but also help create a generation of well-educated, motivated future employees.

Such public-private partnerships have existed for decades, but they've become especially relevant with the growth in state budget deficits. Although many groups use the umbrella term "Partners in Education," each operates independently and is organized according to local priorities and needs.

Take, for example, Austin Partners in Education, based in the Texas capital. With programs that serve up to 2,500 students a week, it is one of the country's largest school-business partnerships, getting funding from the Austin Independent School District and Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

The Austin program focuses primarily on tutoring, using a method it calls Classroom Coaching. "It provides the relationship-building and role model attributes of mentoring, but with the added important academic support," says Jennifer Rees, its director of communications. "We focus on areas where our work can have the most meaningful and measurable positive impact."

Based on research of "watershed" academic stages, volunteers focus on specific grades, visiting their assigned school once a week for 24 weeks. For example, coaches are assigned for second-grade reading because a student's reading level by third grade is a good predictor of whether they'll finish high school. Because students who fail beginning algebra are significantly more likely to drop out of school, eighth-grade math coaching is another priority.