Grants are often contingent upon collaboratively developed proposals. Teacher support is gained by involving them in planning and needs assessment from the beginning, and clarifying what and how materials and spaces will be shared. Programs should be structured to assist teachers rather than add to their load. Establish on-going dialogue between regular and extended program staff, a system for constant assessment, sharing, and quick airing of grievances. Selecting valid indicators of success and collecting ample evidence is the key to program quality and maintaining support for full service schools.
Monitoring can include gains in attendance, graduation rates, and test scores.
Teachers can report increased levels of student motivation, improved discipline and positive parental involvement. Principals can provide statistics on changes in suspension rates, vandalism, drug-related problems and community support. Parent and student surveys will track satisfaction with safety, academic progress and increased opportunities. Despite agreement on gaps in service, the powerful politics of agency budgets and authority can mean lost opportunities to collaborate to better serve children. A proposed storefront school project for youth in trouble with the law foundered for years on battles between school, legal, and social agencies while troubled teens fell through the cracks.