Strong communities are the foundation for good schools. Good schools require strong schools. This is why community schools are gaining popularity.
Some people may wonder if strong school/community partnerships are enough to meet today’s accountability requirements. Schools should be able and willing to spend the time to build relationships, even if they don’t meet federal standards for one test. Many educators, elected officials, and community leaders believe that schools cannot afford to build such relationships.
Leaders of today’s community school movement understand that education reform is not a binary choice. Both research and practice show that the two tasks of focusing on achievement and building relationships that connect school, family, and community are interconnected.
The Importance of Community Schools
By gaining additional resources, school staff can reduce their non-instructional workload. Partnering allows educators to concentrate on instruction and curriculum by offering support and services that are relevant to all students.
Provide learning opportunities to improve the academic, social, and emotional skills of young people. School success is possible for students who are socially, emotionally, and physically capable.
Young people have the opportunity to connect with their families, find role models, and explore other options. Students can build social capital and networks with partners. They also have the opportunity to connect with their families and find role models. Partnerships give students a sense of belonging.
How Does Research Support Community Schools?
It is possible to make significant academic and other non-academic achievements in community schools. They encourage stability within the family as well as greater involvement of the families with schools.
They promote teacher satisfaction and positive school environments. They encourage better school building usage and increase security and pride within the local communities.
Research supports the link between home, school, and family, as well as student achievement. Barton (2003) identified 14 variables associated with student success.
Sixteen of these 14 factors are related to school environments. These include the quality of teacher preparation and teacher rigor, as well as safety.
These eight factors relate to family and community and highlight the importance of student achievement. These include parental support, student mobility, parent involvement, and TV watching.
Unique Community Needs
We used to believe that there were no two community schools the same because their programs and services varied from one building to another and from one neighborhood to another. However, over the past 15 years, we have learned a lot about community schools. Research has shown that there are some common practices and principles that all successful community schools share, and they get results when they’re well-implemented. What does a community school need?
Asking students and families in their local community schools what they need to succeed and be ready for college and other careers is a good place to start. They may decide to concentrate on one of several priorities depending on their answers to this fundamental question. For example, making sure that children are ready to learn and promoting academic enrichment. They will choose the specific services and programs they offer depending on their local context. However, the basic principle should be to identify students’ most important needs and strengths and then bring together the partners, programs, and resources needed to meet those needs.
The Need Schools
can’t afford to spend time building relationships in this age of high-stakes testing and federal education standards. Research and practice show that school-community partnerships are crucial to student achievement, especially in economically and socially challenged communities. Community schools allow educators to pool their resources and form broad learning communities that support student achievement.
