Sustainability Savvy: The Role of Invitational Theory Toward Maintaining Grant-Funded Service Programs

• In Event: Invitational Learning in Multiple Contexts

Abstract

Researchers have demonstrated the importance of intentionally inviting success in the 5 “P’s” (People, Places, Policies, Programs, and Processes) for effective counseling and learning environments (Purkey & Novak, 1978; Purkey & Schmidt, 1987). The purpose of this study was to correlate effective implementation of the principles of Invitational Education (IE) with fiscal sustainability and long-term success of family and community engagement/service programs. The study focused exclusively on clients seeking to sustain programs that serve community and family engagement and who were willing to share information on project funding and management. This five-year study started with 25 participant sites, of which 20 successfully completed their data. The projects were in four countries, Australia, St. Eustatius (Dutch Caribbean) Peru and the USA.

Author

• Kay Hensler Phelps, Fort Lewis College