A case history of the New Horizons Project, school/business partnership, Richmond, Virginia

Abstract

The New Horizons Project, a school/business partnership in Richmond, Virginia, was established in 1980 between the Richmond Public Schools and the Metropolitan Richmond Private Industry Council to prepare youth from economically disadvantaged homes to enter the world of work. An in-depth case history of the New Horizons Project was conducted to describe how it was developed and to identify the factors that became a part of its implementation, success, and demise. The study provides useful information to school systems which are interested in establishing similar partnerships.

The population for the study consisted of representatives from the business/industry community, the Richmond-Public Schools, the New Horizons staff, and a Virginia Commonwealth University faculty member who had knowledge of the project.