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COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Henry Ford Academy was founded upon the principle that public education, business, and the nonprofit world must work together to develop new and innovative ways for students to learn and teachers to teach. The Academy and its founding partners are dedicated to achieving student success through building innovative community partnerships with the shared goal of enhancing student progress and success. Reasons for Practice Henry Ford Academy is a public charter high school created by Ford Motor Company, the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, and the Wayne County (MI) Public Schools. Located on the campus of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, the Academy is the nation's first charter school developed jointly by a global corporation, public education, and a nonprofit cultural institution. Designed with the mission of preparing students to meet the challenges of the 21st century, the Academy is a content- and performance-based model for education reform. The Academy's long-term goals, listed below, will only be achieved through collaboration with other community organizations:
The Academy has worked with community partners since its inception in 1996. (The Academy opened its doors to its first students in August of 1997.) HENRY FORD ACADEMY is a public charter high school created by Ford Motor Company, the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, and the Wayne County (MI) Public Schools. Located on the campus of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, the Academy is the nation's first charter school developed jointly by a global corporation, public education, and a nonprofit cultural institution. Ford Motor Company and Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village employees
and members of the broader community continually interact with all facets
of the Henry Ford Academy's development and implementation to establish
projects and lessons that will help students make the connection between
what they learn in the classroom and how it applies in the real world.
Academy students' experience in linking classroom learning to the real
world culminates in the Senior Mastery Process.
The Academy works regularly with its founding partners, Ford Motor Company and Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, and its chartering agency, Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency, to enhance the overall teaching and learning environment at the Academy. Specific areas of involvement are described below.
Ford has contributed greatly to the community learning experience in the following ways:
Teachers have actively integrated the resources of the Museum and Village community into their daily curricula. For example:
Work is also progressing on planning the Academy Library to be housed in the new Benson Ford Research Center. A planning team composed of members from the Research Center and the Academy has been meeting since January 2002. An outside consultant worked with the planning committee to facilitate discussions about the role of research across the curriculum, to establish what research skills students need to meet Academy graduation requirements, and to determine what skills students need for higher education and future work experiences. Staff and students have also contributed to the process through focus groups. Recommendations for acquisitions have been made and grant funding will be pursued. The Academy also has developed more than a dozen additional working
partnerships with institutions of higher education, public school districts,
and civic organizations.
The first and best thing that Henry Ford Academy has learned is that bringing the real world into the classroom truly makes a difference in student motivation, progress, and success. Once students see that what they are learning today will help them be successful in college and the workplace, they take their studies more seriously. The best advice Henry Ford Academy can give other schools that want
to partner with a business, corporation, or nonprofit institution is
to have an idea of what you want from potential partners, but be open-minded
as they suggest ways they can be helpful. Each type of organization
has the same goal-student success-and can contribute to this success
in many and diverse ways. Any school wishing to work with community
organizations should make sure it has support from its board of directors,
teachers, parents, and other educational stakeholders. Two books that
are very useful in initiating, building and maintaining community partnerships
are:
The New Community Collaboration Manual Collaboration Handbook: Creating, Sustaining, and Enjoying the Journey If you visit Henry Ford Academy's Web site, there is a PowerPoint presentation that highlights the school's partnership practices. It includes recommendations on how other schools can develop their own partnerships. Directions: Go to http://www.hfacademy.org, look under "What's Happening Now" in the lower left corner of the home page, and access "Academy Partner Presentation." Henry Ford Academy is happy to provide assistance to other schools
interested in initiating, developing, and maintaining partnerships with
community organizations, from businesses to higher education to civic
departments.
URL: http://www.hfacademy.org.
Shannon A. Clements Telephone: 313-982-6129
Community Partnerships Presentation (courtesy of Henry Ford Academy) More Highlighted Practices: The Senior Mastery Process
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