WASHINGTON – The Council for Corporate and School Partnerships is accepting applications for the 2005 National School and Business Partnerships Award.

The award recognizes outstanding examples of collaboration between businesses and schools to improve the student educational experience. The application for the award is available on the council’s Web site, at www.corpschoolpartners.org.

In the National School and Business Partnerships Award’s inaugural year in 2003-2004, 354 applications were received from 42 states and the District of Columbia.

Partnerships are judged based on performance in four categories. The categories are: foundation, how the partnership was initially established; implementation, how the partners work together on an ongoing basis; sustainability, how the partners work to sustain the partnership over time; and evaluation, the impact the partnership has on the business and school communities. Detailed information on the judging process can be found on the council’s Web site.

Partnerships involving kindergarten through 12th grade public schools and school districts and businesses are eligible to participate in this awards program. Applications are due Jan. 28, 2005.