Thriving Together: Connecting Rural School Improvement and Community Development

Outlines the purpose, audience, contents, and philosophy of the guide and gives the background on its development.

Explains the need for integrated school-community projects and their benefits, suggests ways of taking stock of your own local needs.

Describes characteristics and resources important to success in joint school-community development efforts, helps you to informally assess your school and community’s readiness.

Gives a rationale and some how-to information for using a collaborative group process to organize your efforts.

Describes three general ways that schools can serve as a community center: community education, after-hours programs, and school-linked services.

Outlines strategies for community-based learning, particularly service learning, through which students learn skills and academic content while helping the community.

Provides ideas and information about work-based learning, particularly entrepreneurial education, in which students plan and start their own small business.

Describes some of the safety, security, and related issues that you will need to address and suggests some strategies.

Lists materials and organizations and their websites that can help you in implementing your project.