Connecting Schools, Families and Communities

Evidence continues to mount in favor of the notion that when "schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more." (SEDL 2002, CCS 2003) Though they cannot do it alone, school principals are of course key players in making these connections. Professional development for school leaders should provide lessons and tools concerning school, family, and community relations and partnerships.

Schools, families and communities can interact in numerous ways, from parent-teacher conferences, to parents serving on local school councils, to community health services provided on school grounds, to after school programming for children, youth, and adults. School leaders should strive to understand "what kinds of connections make what kinds of impact." (SEDL Nov. 2002) They must also recognize that different players—students, parents, teachers, principals, business leaders, etc.—have different goals, beliefs, and conceptions of their roles in supporting student learning and community partnerships. Principals should call on the expertise of community organizations to connect with families since, among other reasons, often families don't trust or feel comfortable at the school site.

Standards for School, Family, Community Connections

School leadership standards specify the need for principals to pay attention to and be involved in the wider community if they wish to make the most of educational opportunities for students.

The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) asserts that effective school leaders are, among other things, "moral agents and social advocates for the children and the communities they serve" and "they make strong connections with other people, valuing and caring for others as individuals and as members of the educational community." ISLLC members sense that models of schooling are becoming more and more "community-focused and caring-centered" and they predict "stakeholders external to the school building—parents, interested members of the corporate sector and leaders in the community—will increasingly play significantly enhanced roles in education." (CCSSO 1996)

The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium's Standards for School Leaders includes two standards that relate to school, family, and community connections. ISLLC accompanies each standard with indicators of the relevant knowledge, dispositions, and performances required of school leaders aspiring to meet the standards. For ISLLC, "a school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by (Standard 4) collaborating with families and community members, and mobilizing community resources" and by (Standard 6) "understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context."

The National Policy Board for Educational Administration's (NPBEA) Standards for Advanced Programs in Educational Leadership for Principals, Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, and Supervisors notes "five broad shifts in the knowledge and skills required of educational leaders today compared to the traditional knowledge base."

From technical skills to interpersonal skills
From director to consensus builder and motivator
From resource allocation to accountability for learning processes and results
From campus administrator to integrator of school and community services
From policy recipient to policy participant

These shifts come in response to conditions which NPBEA characterize as requiring "an 'outward looking,' environmentally influenced vision of school leadership, moving away from the traditional inward looking, content dominated format."

The National Staff Development Council's (NSDC) "Standards for Staff Development (Revised)" includes a standard on "Family Involvement: Staff development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately." NSDC argues that education is at its best when "the education of young people is a partnership between the school, the home, and the community." School leaders, they say, must demonstrate the "capacity to convey authentic interest in the perspectives of others, to listen deeply and honor others' points of view, and to identify areas of common interest." (NSDC 2001)

Standard 6 in NAESP's "What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do" is: Actively engage the community to create shared responsibility for student and school success. NAESP believes that effective principals "must engage the entire community in conversations and decisions about the school." They point out that schools are "public institutions, embodying the values and hopes of the community" and therefore citizens of the community should be heard regarding decisions affecting the school and community. Their suggested strategies for principals are:

Engage the community to build greater ownership for the work of the school
Share leadership and decision-making
Encourage parents to become meaningfully involved in the school and in their own children's learning
Ensure that students and families are connected to the health, human and social services they need to stay focused on learning.

Also, the National PTA offers its National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs:

Communicating—Communication between home and school is regular, two-way, and meaningful
Parenting—Parenting skills are promoted and supported.
Student Learning—Parents play an integral role in assisting student learning.
Volunteering—Parents are welcome in the school, and their support and assistance are sought.
School Decision Making and Advocacy—Parents are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families
Collaborating with Community—Community resources are used to strengthen schools, families, and student learning.

School/Community/Family Partnerships

A recent study suggests that the "nature of school-community partnerships appears to center around school-to-work programs" and is characterized by vocational educators working "closely with members of the business community and other agencies to provide internship opportunities for students enrolled in vocational education coursework." Yet, the study finds, in "contrast, established partnerships between school and community service providers (e.g., mental health, social services) seem to be limited." (Foley) Today's school leaders can and should be doing more to reach out to their communities and capitalize on opportunities to advance school and student success.

The Institute for Educational Leadership's (IEL) "Education and Community Building: Connecting Two Worlds" offers some basic "rules of engagement" for school leaders and community leaders to use to build and sustain partnerships:

Find Out about each others' interests and needs.
Reach Out to potential partners on their own turf with specific offers of assistance.
Spell Out the purpose and terms of joint efforts, including who will do what, by when?
Work Out the kinks as they arise and change your approach when necessary.
Build Out from success by sharing positive results and encouraging expanded efforts.

Family Involvement

Shirley Igo, former president of the National PTA lauds the inclusion of the PTA's National Standards for Parent and Family Involvement Programs in the No Child Left Behind Act. She defines parent involvement as "the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities." Igo's suggestions for principals who wish to "ensure that parents become full partners in their children's education and that the parent-involvement provisions in NCLB are effectively implemented" include:

Provide parents with opportunities to become actively involved.
Help parents prepare their children for annual assessments.
Make sure parents understand state and school report cards.
Inform parents of the availability of supplemental services.
Involve parents in the development of the school's flexibility (regarding the use of federal funds).

School leaders are of course well advised to think expansively about the term parents, to include others playing guardianship roles for students.

After-School Programs

NAESP Executive Director, Vincent Ferrandino asserts principals "play a key role in setting a vision for learning in and out of the classroom. This includes creating a seamless, caring environment where school and after-school staff are treated professionally." He cites evidence that the vast majority of parents whose children attend after-school programs find that their children do better in academic subjects as a result and further evidence of increased attendance rates due to "stronger affinity for school that is born of a child's after-school experience." He adds:

Children don't stop learning when the last bell rings. That's why ongoing, quality after-school programs are so important, and why school leaders need to consider how in-school and after-school learning are connected. (Ferrandino)

In the face of increasing pressure to boost student performance and test scores, after-school programs, formerly "built around recreational activities and arts and crafts" are now increasingly "being focused on tutoring, skill building in reading and math, and homework help." (Lauer) Principals are advised to:

Be fully aware of the activities within the after-school program, even those operated by an outside agency.
Meet regularly with program leaders.
Observe activities and gather feedback from students and parents.
Assist in strategic planning.
Be well versed in budget details.
Collaborate with community agencies and other community players in funding after-school programs. (Adapted from Lauer)

Community Schools and Collaborative Leadership

Community schools are "public schools that are open to students, families, and community members before, during, and after school, throughout the year. They have high standards and expectations for students, qualified teachers, and rigorous curriculum" (Harkavy and Blank). As such, they take school, family, and community connections to another level. In "Making the Difference: Research and Practice in Community Schools" the Coalition for Community Schools reports that its evaluation of 20 community school initiatives nationwide offers concrete evidence that community schools improve student learning, promote family engagement, enhance school effectiveness (including school environment and parent-teacher relations), and boost community vitality.

Based on a review of research looking at how multiple fields related to schools, children and families are linked to improved learning and school outcomes, Making the Difference (Blank, Melaville & Shah) presents five conditions that are necessary for all children to learn at high levels:

The school has a core instructional program with qualified teachers, a challenging curriculum, and high standards and expectations for students.
Students are motivated and engaged in learning—both in school and in community settings, during and after school.
The basic physical, mental and emotional health needs of young people and their families are recognized and addressed.
There is mutual respect and effective collaboration among parents, families and school staff.
Community engagement, together with school efforts, promote a school climate that is safe, supportive and respectful and that connects students to a broader learning community.

Community schools are better able to create these conditions for learning due to their intentional and strategic partnerships with community based organizations and agencies that work with the school to provide critical services, supports and opportunities for school staff, students and families.

These successes don't come without complications. One school principal warns of the difficulties of "making sure the school district's partners were working within school district guidelines" and another "cautions school leaders not to allow partnerships to distract a school district from its main role of educating children." (Pardini)

The wisdom of several community school principals is crystallized in the following suggestions for creating a successful community school (Melaville & Blank):

Believe in the idea. The principal sets the stage for success. It's not enough simply to permit agencies to work in your school; your actions and leadership must demonstrate that their involvement is a critical component of your students' success.
Make your story their story. Let potential partners know that you need and want their involvement. Build strong relationships by convincing them that your success is their success.
Suspend judgment. When you think you have the answer to a problem or concern, first stop and listen to your partners--parents, teachers, and students. Keep in mind that you're not the only knowledgeable person in the room.
Develop a litmus test. Know what results you want your community school efforts to achieve and establish criteria to determine which activities support those results. Disregard ideas that may take you too far afield.
Lead from behind. Stay involved but delegate day-to-day responsibility for program operation to an assistant principal or designated coordinator. Use your influence to seek out partners and funding that can provide full-time, in-school support.
Involve your staff. Create opportunities through training and joint planning to show your staff how extended-day activities can enrich classroom instruction.
Connect to a network. Give yourself a head start by seeking materials, technical assistance, training opportunities, and support from colleagues in community schools.

Collaborative leadership in schools can be defined as "a move toward shared or horizontal organizational structure as an alternative to the traditional hierarchical organization of schools." (Foley) Because community schools are characterized by "[f]amilies, students, principals, teachers, and neighborhood residents" who "decide together how to support student learning," they can be considered one model for collaborative leadership. (Harkavy & Blank) Principals of more traditional schools should be aware of other models of collaborative leadership, especially in light of NPBEA's "shifts" noted above.

References

"A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement. (Annual Synthesis 2002)" Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, Austin, Texas, 2002.
Blank, M.J., Melaville, A., & Shah, B.P. "Making the Difference: Research and Practice in Community Schools." Coalition for Community Schools, Institute for Educational Leadership. May 2003. www.communityschools.org/mtdhomepage.html
"Education and Community Building: Connecting Two Worlds." Institute for Educational Leadership, Washington, DC, 2001.
Ferrandino, Vincent L. "After-School Learning and Leadership." Principal (Reston, Va.) v. 82 no5 (May/June 2003) p. 62.
Foley, Regina M. "Professional Development Needs of Secondary School Principals of Collaborative-based Service Delivery Models." The High School Journal v. 85 no1 (Oct./Nov. 2001) p. 10–23.
Harkavy, Ira; Blank, Martin J. "Community Schools: A Vision of Learning That Goes Beyond Testing." Education Week. (Apr. 2002) p. 38, 52.
Igo, Shirley. "Increasing Parent Involvement." Principal Leadership (High School Ed.) v. 3 no3 (Nov. 2002) p. 10–12.
"Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium: Standards for Leaders." Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC, 1996. Lauer, Rhonda H. "After-School Programs: Everybody's Doing It!." Principal (Reston, Va.) v. 82 no5 (May/June 2003) p. 28–9, 31–2.
"Leading Learning Communities: NAESP Standards for What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do." National Association of Elementary School Principals, Alexandria, Virginia, 2001.
Melaville, Atelia I.; Blank, Martin J. "It Takes a Whole Community--." Principal (Reston, Va.) v. 80 no1 (Sept. 2000) p. 18–22
Pardini, Priscilla, "School-Community Partnering." The School Administrator (Aug. 2001) p. 6–11.
"PTA Guide to the National Standards for Parent and Family Involvement Programs." National PTA, Chicago, IL, 2003. (www.pta.org//parentinvolvement/standards/pfiguide.asp)
"Standards for Advanced Programs in Educational Leadership for Principals, Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, and Supervisors." National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Arlington, VA, 2002. (www.ncate.org/standard/new%20program%20standards/elcc%202001.pdf)
"Standards for Staff Development (Revised)." National Staff Development Council, Oxford, Ohio, 2001.
"What Do We Mean by 'Family and Community Connections with Schools?'" Research brief, Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. November 2002.