This train-the-trainer seminar, usually lasting a minimum of six hours, will provide institutional leaders with the essential content knowledge and materials needed to conduct a process to develop successful school/community collaborations. The training is based on the P.E.R.C. (Planning Effectively for Resource Collaboration) process, developed by the trainer. The process is flexible and adaptable and has been used successfully with school districts, federal projects and municipal governments.
For any school reform program to address the academic needs of all children and help children stay in school and graduate, there must be an active partnership between the school and community. The school is not equipped to address independently the broad range of social, emotional and personal needs that affect the academic performance of children.
A process is needed for the school and community to successfully move through the continuum of interactions leading to true collaboration. School and community needs and resources must be identified and individuals and agencies must be convened in a non-threatening, energized and positive environment where each is willing to look at new ways to work together.
Planning Effectively for Resource Collaboration (P.E.R.C.) is a process used successfully to initiate and sustain interagency collaborative efforts around various school/community needs. The process is flexible and adaptable to any need that is best addressed by a collaborative of two or more community agencies.
This train-the-trainer seminar will provide the content knowledge and materials needed by school district administrators and/or community agency leaders to engage one another in collaborative projects. The objectives for this seminar are:
- To teach the basics of the P.E.R.C. process, including collaborative team building, creating a collaborative vision, assessing school/community needs and resources, mapping resources to needs, developing collaborative action plans, and constructing evaluations to monitor and improve collaborative projects;
- To demonstrate P.E.R.C. tools and techniques for developing successful school/community collaborations; and
- To provide practice in using the P.E.R.C. process through a simulated collaborative building exercise.
The seminar format, depending on time available, will provide training in all phases of the PERC process, workshop materials including a PERC manual, use of visuals, discussions and role-play exercises. The trainer is also available to work with a school district and select community agencies to develop school/community collaborations around specific, identified school/community needs. These sessions traditionally are structured around an initial two and one-half day session with follow up determined on an individual need basis.
To schedule a seminar, contact John Gailer at the National Dropout Prevention Center Network: 864-656-2675, or via email to jgailer@clemson.edu.