The American Camp Association (ACA), in partnership with the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), are working to support the development of Camp-School Partnerships (CSPs) across the United States.
The purpose of this two-part research project is to improve the state-of-knowledge on these partnerships and to develop data-driven, actionable recommendations for initiating and sustaining successful CSPs. This report presents the findings of this research.
Part 1 examines the school partners’ perceptions of the value of CSPs, through the methods of semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 19 individuals. Part 2 identifies the elements of successful CSPs through a cross-case analysis of camp and school personnel semi-structured interviews, leading to five generalizable propositions that camps can use to outline their own successful camp-school partnerships.
ACA will use this report as a foundation for future research, to create trainings for the field, and to inspire future support for our ongoing Community of Practice.
Report prepared for the American Camp Association by Bryn Spielvogel, Hilary Lambert, and Sasha Mader, with support from Lisa Meerts-Brandsma and Jim Sibthorp (the University of Utah - Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism).
This research was made possible by the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
Learn more about the Camp-School Partnership Demonstration Project.