The Distribution of Public-Private Partnerships: Targeting of Voluntary Efforts to Improve Urban Education

Abstract

With increasing activity of volunteers in service provision, effectively managing voluntary involvement is a significant issue for local governments. This study examines the distribution of school-business and school-community-based-organization partnerships as voluntary efforts to improve urban education. This study uses multivariate regression analysis to examine the distribution of partnership programs as a function of school-level characteristics. Based on a consideration of the motivations for founding partnerships and the scope and sponsorship of the partnerships, several hypotheses are proposed. The study finds differences in the targeting to schools and students in the most need based on the scope of effort and the sponsorship. The findings have implications for the management and organization of partnerships in public schools.