Benefits2 is a series of papers addressing ways that rural schools and communities can work together so that both will thrive. This issue, the last in the series, continues our focus on approaches and tools that can help to guide collaborative groups. The previous issue described eight basic steps in the collaborative process. This issue highlights specific aspects of collaboration that are critical to a group’s success.

If we adults are truly concerned about the future of our communities, our greatest task is to do the things that will help our children learn to enjoy living in their communities
. . . And, the best way to help them to love their home towns is to let them become fully involved in making good communities.

—Edwin C. Nelson, director of a Nebraska Community/School Revitalization program

f you’ve read any of the previous issues of Benefits², you no doubt recognize that this statement reflects two basic premises of these papers: that rural schools and their communities depend on each other; and that, by grounding educational experiences within the real-world context of the local environment, schools strengthen student learning, self-esteem, and citizenship skills, as well as building community resources.

This issue addresses the series’ third basic premise: That joint rural school-community projects are most effectively sustained when they are developed by a collaborative group. As described in the preceding issue, using a collaborative process can help to unify diverse perspectives, establish a broad base of support, and build the community’s capacity for self-development. This issue focuses on the some of the most important elements to consider in collaborative work, and on some of the tools and resources available to help you.

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