School-Community Partnerships

The Center helps college and community leaders develop, implement, and evaluate programs and policies to reduce student problems related to alcohol and other drug use and interpersonal violence. In order to produce enduring, large-scale changes that will make students’ social and cultural environment healthier and safer, the Center supports a comprehensive approach to prevention, grounded in environmental management strategies that address the institutional, community, and public policy factors related to these problems.

The National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention (National Center) provides technical assistance (TA) and training to 106 federally-funded Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) grantees and to six Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) (PL) grantees.

The Somali Interactive Radio Instruction Program (SIRIP) provides high-quality interactive audio programs to Somali children attending formal, non-governmental, Quranic and community schools. With the assistance of the audio programs, teachers lead the classes and are thus trained in interactive teaching methods which include stories, activities, educational songs and other forms of active learning pedagogy. Supplemental materials accompany the programs, providing schools with the resources to support sound, primary-level instruction.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) enhances the nation’s mental health infrastructure by providing states, government agencies, private organizations, colleges and universities, and suicide survivor and mental health consumer groups with access to the science and experience that can support their efforts to develop programs, implement interventions, and promote policies to prevent suicide.

Most teens work by the time they graduate from high school. Although work can be a positive experience, it also has risks. Every year 100,000 teens are seriously injured on the job. To improve the safety of young workers, the center provides training for the staff of school and community-based job readiness and placement programs, preparing them to teach teens about occupational safety and health. The center also provides seminars, technical assistance, and resources to employers of youth and to other education and employment-related organizations serving youth.

dot-EDU was an information and communication technology (ICT) intervention mechanism for USAID Missions seeking to improve education systems in their respective countries. dot-EDU sought to assist developing countries in strengthening learning systems that improve quality, expand access, and enhance equity through carefully planned applications of digital and broadcast technologies. The dot-EDU mission had two foci. First, dot-EDU provided training and technical assistance to support USAID Missions in developing and implementing technology-assisted applications.

Together with the National Cooperative Business Association, EDC contributes to Ghana’s efforts to develop stronger, more effective, and sustainable democratic governance through a combination of technical assistance and training to local government structures, and increased community advocacy for contribution to quality education. EDC’s primary work involves mobilizing and organizing community participation in education.

Through the Education Quality for All (EQUALL) project, EDC and our partner organizations implement activities designed to strengthen the quality and expand the coverage of complementary education in Ghana, and to create stronger linkages between nonformal and formal basic education programs. This effort will result in increased access to basic education for children—especially girls—who have not had the opportunity for schooling due to social, occupational, cultural, or other reasons; and in increased learning outcomes among participating children.

As part of an effort to increase the participation of southern Sudanese in the peace process, the Sudan Radio Service provides access to balanced and useful information through radio-based education, news, and entertainment programs presented by local presenters in ten local languages.

The Universal Education Foundation (UEF) is an advocacy foundation that works in co-creative partnerships toward Education by All for the Well Being of Children. To this end, UEF conducted a Voice of Children survey of children and young people’s opinions, perceptions, and attitudes toward their learning environments. In addition, UEF is launching the Elham Inspiration Program to recognize and support significant contributions by individuals and teams that support the well- being of children in their learning environments.