Recommendation Three:
Ensure Adequate Professional Space for Teachers and Paraprofessionals in School Facilities

 

Role Group Strategies:

Community
Dedicate meeting space at your business or community organization for teachers' use during designated time periods.

Community Partnership Resource Page
The George Lucas Educational Foundation. 
http://www.glef.org/php/keyword.php?id=189
This webpage provides a variety of resources from the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) on school and community partnerships.  It includes articles describing programs in specific school districts and research on the importance of community involvement in general.

The Exponential Results of Linking School Improvement and Community Development:  Collaborative Strategies for Revitalizing Rural Schools and Communities
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
http://www.sedl.org/prep/benefits2/issue5/
This issue of the Benefits newsletter outlines 8 basic steps for establishing collaborative groups that benefit both schools and the community. The authors explain the rationale for each step and suggest actions that school leaders can take to ensure success.  While intended primarily for rural schools, the suggestions and examples are of value to anyone interested in taking practical steps to strengthen school-community partnerships.

Connection Collection
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/bibsearch.html
This searchable database of over 240 articles provides school leaders and community members with a range of resources supporting family and community involvement in education.

What do we mean by “family and community connections with schools? 
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL).  (2002, November). Research Brief.
http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/rb/research-brief1.pdf
This short brief explains that there are many different forms of school-community involvement and emphasizes the need to clarify each group’s understanding of and expectations for such partnerships.  It includes a series of guiding questions to help schools, parents, and community groups decide which type of partnerships to pursue and provides additional references for related research.

Community
Actively participate in the planning phases of new and redesigned schools, and advocate for sufficient professional space for teachers.

Helping Every Student Succeed: Schools and Communities Working Together
Study Circles Resources Center (2002).
http://www.studycircles.org/en/Resource.14.aspx
This tool explains how study circles engage community members in school improvement efforts and provides the discussion materials necessary for a series of four study groups. Group discussions begin with consideration of what each participant considers a “good education” and progresses to deciding upon specific actions for change.

For Generations to Come: A Leadership Guide to Renewing Public School Buildings
21st Century School Fund. (2002).
http://www.edfacilities.org/pubs/for_generations_to_come.pdf
This resource provides a guide to community members for becoming involved in the process of modernizing or building new schools. The authors explain how the condition and design of schools affect the quality of learning that takes place within them and how community involvement results in better education. They then break down the process of school redesign and construction into five steps: Assessment, Envisioning, Planning, Development, and Implementation. For each step, they give a detailed, practical description of the process and highlight stories from actual schools.

The Future of School Facilities: Getting Ahead of the Curve
DeArmond, M., Taggart, S., & Hill, P. (2002). Center on Reinventing Public Education.
http://www.crpe.org/pubs/pdf/report_facilitiesweb.pdf
This report outlines five national trends affecting the future of learning, offers six criteria based on those trends that can guide decisions affecting school facilities, and profiles innovations in school facilities in Portland Public Schools and Niagra Falls City Schools. The six criteria are that facilities should focus on student learning and achievement, facilities should be flexible, facilities should be responsive, facilities tradeoffs and choices should be transparent, facilities provisions should be driven by data, and facilities should be economically efficient.

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