Advice for Business and Industry

When embarking on a new business education partnership or strengthening an existing one, consider the following advice from some of today’s leading business and education leaders who spoke frankly on the issue at our first STEM Education Diversity Forum:

Return On Innovation, Rather Than Investment
For businesses it is wise to avoid the traditional notion of return on investment or ROI when it comes to education since it represents very short-term thinking when, in fact, educating a child is a long-term proposition. Instead, focusing on “Return on Innovation” can help companies measure their investment, not in terms of dollars and cents, but in the number of young people they’re helping to prepare to be innovators.
Partnership Versus Donation
There is a significant difference between a donation and a partnership. A donation is a financial transaction between a company and an education organization, often one-time in nature, that may require some degree of reporting on the part of the education organization.
A partnership, on the other hand, has clearly shared and defined visions, goals and outcomes that build upon each other’s strengths and strengthen each other’s weaknesses. It can be challenging at times because it involves sustaining personal relationships over a long period of time as the work becomes increasingly more complex and personnel changes occur.

A partnership can leverage resources in a way that a donation cannot. An education organization can grow much stronger if, for example, one of its corporate partners helps it bolster its fundraising by assisting with grantwriting and/or enlisting the support of other companies, rather than by being its sole means of support.
Picking the Right Partner
Do the research. Selecting the right education partner doesn’t just happen, it’s a process which involves:
- identifying potential organizations that share a common vision and goals.
- meeting face-to-face to see if those commonalities, along with areas of expertise and infrastructure, correctly align.
- assessing other business-education partner models to learn what their experience has been.
- finding an education partner with credibility and a history of success in order to avoid re-inventing the wheel.
Define your role. Business is not an education expert, nor should it impose yet another set of demands on educators. In an effective business-education partnership, the education partner will allow the business partner to act as a facilitator and catalyst.

Determine your radius/location. If you want your employees to be involved, then partnering with local schools or education organizations makes the most sense. For companies wishing to take a more top-down approach, consider partnering with a national organization that has local chapters and programs that extend throughout the country.

Share the passion. Ultimately, picking the right partner boils down to passion. Do you both share the same values and enthusiasms about education? When you do, you’ll know it’s the right partner.

For more information about best practices K-12 STEM education programs with proven track records, please download a copy of our Planting the Seeds for a Diverse U.S. STEM Pipeline: A Compendium of Best Practice K-12 STEM Education Programs.

Last updated: December 2010

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