Dive Brief:

• Office Depot, Inc., helped design and bankroll an addition to Lovejoy High School in Lucas, TX, that features 12 new classrooms, two engineering labs, five computer labs and an incubator space.
• In announcing the opening of the high school’s 28,000-square-foot STEM wing, Office Depot said the first floor of space gives students an opportunity to design, prototype and synthesize products using traditional and digital tools with support from industry professionals and their teachers.
• The second floor has incubator space that overlooks the workshop and smart TV monitors, conference tables and office chairs, and the STEM wing is expected to enhance collaboration among students and teachers while offering student opportunities to think and act like scientists and engineers.

Dive Insight:

Community and business partnerships have become a critical element of schools across the country. Whether it is to ensure students have the food and housing accommodations they need to focus on academics during the school day or internship opportunities that will help them figure out their next steps after high school, partnerships expand the capacity of educators. Charter and private schools often have fundraising teams built into their administrative staffs so they can develop partnerships like the one between Lovejoy High School and Office Depot.

Traditional schools struggling with minimal funding from their states might consider investing in the outreach work to get community partners to foot a portion of the bill for innovative new spaces or educational opportunities. With tax and public perception benefits for corporations engaging in such work, these relationships can be wins all around.