Partnerships with Community-Based Organizations
GreatSchools.net has developed a model for partnering and working with local community-based organizations nationwide to reach parents who are either not online or unaware of the services we offer. Our current partner organizations include:

In Arizona:
The Volunteer Center of Maricopa's Phoenix Youth Volunteer Program
Chicanos Por La Causa Inc., Phoenix
GateWay Community College's Parent Development Institue, Phoenix
Valle del Sol's Community Service Centers, Phoenix
Goodwill Industries of Central Arizona
Fuente del Futuro, Phoenix
Friendly House, Phoenix
Head Start Association, Phoenix
The Scottsdale (Ariz.) Prevention Institute
In California:
Parents for Public Schools, San Francisco
The Unity Council, Oakland, Calif.

Printed Materials
GreatSchools.net recognizes that as long as the digital divide exists in the United States, we'll need to move beyond the Internet if we are going to reach all parents with our school information. Therefore, we are committed to producing printed materials that help parents learn about schools, understand their choices and support their children's learning. Among the major projects we have completed are:

• The GreatSchools.net Guide to Choosing a School in Arizona (in Spanish). Written entirely in Spanish, this guide gives a complete overview of school choice in Arizona. Click here to view our guide, Como Seleccionar una Escuela en Arizona.

• Informative Spanish Articles. We currently have 12 Spanish articles on our Web site that cover topics including adjusting to a new school, measuring your child's progress, special education programs and more. These articles are easy to print and distribute to parents who do not have Internet access. Click on a topic to view an article in Spanish.

Parent Training Programs
GreatSchools.net has developed training programs geared for low-income parents that teach them how to interpret school performance data and give them tools to advocate for education excellence.

Promoting our Web Site in Lower-Income Communities
GreatSchools.net is working to raise awareness about our Web site and the information we offer to parents in lower-income communities. To achieve this goal, we are committed to working with our community-based partners through the following programs:

• Partnerships: GreatSchools.net works with community organizations to help teach parents how to use our school choice information most effectively. Additionally, we form partnerships with community organizations to promote their programs through GreatSchools and the Internet. These organizations in turn help us distribute our resources in the communities where they already have an established presence.

• District School Fairs: GreatSchools.net has already sponsored two district school fairs and plans to expand these fairs to more areas. A school fair allows parents to learn about area public and charter schools, meet school principals and get specific information about school choice in their district.

To learn more about GreatSchools.net's efforts to reach low-income parents, send email to communityoutreach@greatschools.net or call 415.977.0700