School partners

A good relationship involving businesses and schools can have positive results that last a long time. That has been the aim of the Adopt a School program in Cape Girardeau with 19 schools, both public and private, participating. But fewer than half that many businesses have been involved with schools in recent years.

The education committee of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the business-school partnerships, has retooled the program with new guidelines and a new name: Partners in Education.

Already the program has a dozen participating businesses lined up, an indication that the revitalized program could have business partners for all the participating schools by this summer. Some larger schools could have multiple partners.

What is the benefit of having schools and businesses working together? It's an opportunity for the business community to keep abreast of education issues and needs. And programs like this give schools an understanding of the needs of businesses as youngsters learn the skills necessary for a productive life in the world of work.

Programs like Partners in Education deserve serious attention from schools and businesses. Serious efforts to forge these relationships can pay big dividends for education and for business.