The Partners in Excellence Program is our premier school business partnership program that pairs businesses, community organizations, and civic organizations with schools to promote excellence in education. Through partnerships, more than 240 business and community organizations are helping students to reach their highest level of academic success.

The primary goal of the Partners in Excellence Program is to strengthen and enrich the instructional programs in schools thereby ensuring that all students graduate with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for life-long learning and successful functioning as members of the workforce, community, and society.

• As a partner, there are many ways that your business or organization can positively influence the success of teaching and learning in our community. Currently, our most critical community involvement needs are:

• Mentors (particularly male)

• Tutors

• In-kind donations

• Financial donations

Benefits of Partnerships

Schools and communities form partnerships to serve a shared goal of helping students. Effective partnerships achieve that goal by creating programs that expand a school’s presence in the community and giving students greater access to resources inside and outside of the classroom. Effective partnerships are beneficial to the community, partners and schools in a number of ways.

Community Benefits

• Improved economic environment, increased ability to draw new businesses, and stimulated economic growth

• Lower dropout rates, lower crime rates, lower unemployment

• Provides for a more attractive county and community where businesses, organizations, faith-based organizations join in a united effort to improve the quality of the public educational institutions within the community.

Partner Benefits

• Enhanced community image

• Better prepared workforce

• Improved employee morale and training

• Increased customer and employee recruitment
  A sense of pride through engagement in the community

School Benefits

• Provides teachers with ideas for innovative approaches to learning

• Provides added human and financial resources to schools

• Reinforces schools’ message that education is important for life

• Improves employee morale because employees know that the community values what they do

• Improves attendance rates

• Improves Behavior

• Improves Graduation rates

Steps to Completing an Application

1. Click on the Partners in Excellence Information and Application link here.

2. Complete the Application Agreement Form and Action Plan Ideas Form

3. Sign the Agreement Form

You can either mail, fax or email the completed documents to the PIE office.

The Agreement Form and Action Plan Ideas form may be mailed to:

Partners in Excellence Office
801 W Residence Ave,
Albany, GA 31701

The forms may be faxed to 229.438.3549 or you can email your application to info@docoschools.org

Our office will contact you when your application is processed.

Thank you for your interest in Dougherty County School System’s Partner in Excellence Program!

Each year the Dougherty County School System recognizes partners who have gone above and beyond supporting their school and/or the district. These partners are nominated by their schools and a panel of judges decides which partner walks away with the coveted "DCSS Partner of the Year," honor, which is typically announced each Spring. You can view our latest Partner of the Year in the video below.