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Role Group Strategies: Community, Teachers, Principals, District Office, Policymakers
Community
Provide access to community services and resources on school grounds and provide feedback on how school design and bureaucracy affect community engagement in schools.
 |
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John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary
Great Schools by Design
http://www.archfoundation.org/aaf/documents/JAJ.DiscussionGuide.pdf
This document highlights how renovations at John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary in St. Paul, Minnesota lead to increased student achievement and transformed the school into a center of community. The discussion guide, together with a video describing the innovations at this school, is intended to engage education stakeholders and community members in conversations about creating schools that are centers of communities. It includes a discussion outline and extensive advice on how to effectively facilitate and follow up on these community conversations.
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Broad Creek Middle School, Carteret, NC
The Real D.E.A.L. Schools
http://www.governor.state.nc.us/Office/Education/_pdf/RealDeal_Booklet.pdf
Broad Creek Middle School is one of eight schools honored by North Carolina Governor Mike Easley as a school that leads the state in both student achievement and teacher working conditions. Parental involvement and volunteers are an integral part of the school’s success. Volunteer programs include tutoring, mentoring and a partnership with a group of local marines.
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Case Studies for Joint Use Facilities
New Schools for Better Neighborhoods
http://www.nsbn.org/case/jointuse/index.php
The site uses research and existing examples of real schools to show that new school facilities must be better integrated with the community year round. The site argues that schools should serve a variety of community needs in partnership with a wide array of public, civic, and private organizations. Smarter designs for new or renovated school facilities can accommodate direct community access to spaces like libraries, gymnasiums, auditoriums, health clinics, athletic and recreational fields, and performing arts space.
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Growing Community Schools: The Role of Cross-Boundary Leadership
Blank, M. et al. (2006). Coalition for Community Schools.
http://www.communityschools.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=60
This report profiles eleven communities taking action to create community schools by bringing together different levels of leadership from within schools and the community. On the basis of the experiences and success of these communities, the authors describe strategies for developing diverse financing, effecting change through technical assistance and professional development, collecting data, and building broad public support.
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Building a Community School: A Parent’s Guide
The Children’s Aide Society and the Coalition for Community Schools (2001)
http://www.communityschools.org/parentsguide.pdf
This guide explains how community schools, which house a variety of services for children and families at one site, differ from traditional schools and how they benefit students and parents. The authors also provide action steps for parents to take to encourage their school to become a community school.
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Communities in Schools Volunteer Page
http://www.cisnet.org/about/where.asp?.=NC
This site gives contact addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for all Communities in Schools (CIS) network offices in North Carolina. CIS encourages community members to become involved in schools through mentoring, helping with after-school programs, bringing health specialists into schools, and teaching job skills.
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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.
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Reinventing Education Change Toolkit
IBM (2002).
http://www.reinventingeducation.org/RE3Web
This toolkit, provided free of charge to anyone working in K-12 education, is designed to help school and district leaders to guide the school reform process. The toolkit can be used to diagnose an environment for change, collaborate with members of a school change team, read real-life vignettes from education colleagues, plan a change initiative, and connect with educators worldwide.
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 |
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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.
|
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Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen’s Guide to Planning and Design
Bingler, S., Quinn, L., and Sullivan, K. (2003).
http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/publications/Schools_Centers_Community_Nov2003.pdf
The authors examine the challenges and opportunities related to building and renovating schools for the growing number of children in America. They advocate the idea of schools serving as centers of community interaction and emphasize that the process of designing and planning schools should involve the community. The paper enumerates design principles, shows those principles in action thirteen different schools, and explains how to develop and implement a plan to improve school facilities and how to involve different members of the community in that process.
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Community
Advocate for and raise awareness of the need for sufficient financial resources for school support personnel.
Teachers
Raise internal school awareness of the significant need for various support personnel within schools.
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Building Trusting Relationships for School Improvement: Implications for Principals and Teachers
Brewster, C. and Railsback, J. (2003, September). By Request. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
http://www.nwrel.org/request/2003sept/index.html
This booklet addresses issues of trust between principals and teachers and among teachers themselves as an element of school improvement. The authors draw on recent research and highlight several schools working on trust building, including a “critical friends group” established at Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon.
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Quest at AEL: Shared Vision
AEL
http://www.ael.org/rel/quest/framewk/vision.htm
The development of a shared vision is critical to realizing the full potential of a school community. When all stakeholders invest in a shared vision, their work is focused and produces significant gains. Because a school’s vision has traditionally been set and led by the principal, the process of creating a shared vision is often misunderstood. This tool created by AEL introduces the concept of a shared vision and details the importance of having a shared vision.
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Teachers
Advocate for and help integrate community services into the school.
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John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary
Great Schools by Design
http://www.archfoundation.org/aaf/documents/JAJ.DiscussionGuide.pdf
This document highlights how renovations at John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary in St. Paul, Minnesota lead to increased student achievement and transformed the school into a center of community. The discussion guide, together with a video describing the innovations at this school, is intended to engage education stakeholders and community members in conversations about creating schools that are centers of communities. It includes a discussion outline and extensive advice on how to effectively facilitate and follow up on these community conversations.
|
|
|
Broad Creek Middle School, Carteret, NC
The Real D.E.A.L. Schools
http://www.governor.state.nc.us/Office/Education/_pdf/RealDeal_Booklet.pdf
Broad Creek Middle School is one of eight schools honored by North Carolina Governor Mike Easley as a school that leads the state in both student achievement and teacher working conditions. Parental involvement and volunteers are an integral part of the school’s success. Volunteer programs include tutoring, mentoring and a partnership with a group of local marines.
|
|
|
Case Studies for Joint Use Facilities
New Schools for Better Neighborhoods
http://www.nsbn.org/case/jointuse/index.php
The site uses research and existing examples of real schools to show that new school facilities must be better integrated with the community year round. The site argues that schools should serve a variety of community needs in partnership with a wide array of public, civic, and private organizations. Smarter designs for new or renovated school facilities can accommodate direct community access to spaces like libraries, gymnasiums, auditoriums, health clinics, athletic and recreational fields, and performing arts space.
|
|
|
|
Growing Community Schools: The Role of Cross-Boundary Leadership
Blank, M. et al. (2006). Coalition for Community Schools.
http://www.communityschools.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=60
This report profiles eleven communities taking action to create community schools by bringing together different levels of leadership from within schools and the community. On the basis of the experiences and success of these communities, the authors describe strategies for developing diverse financing, effecting change through technical assistance and professional development, collecting data, and building broad public support.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen’s Guide to Planning and Design
Bingler, S., Quinn, L., and Sullivan, K. (2003).
http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/publications/Schools_Centers_Community_Nov2003.pdf
The authors examine the challenges and opportunities related to building and renovating schools for the growing number of children in America. They advocate the idea of schools serving as centers of community interaction and emphasize that the process of designing and planning schools should involve the community. The paper enumerates design principles, shows those principles in action thirteen different schools, and explains how to develop and implement a plan to improve school facilities and how to involve different members of the community in that process.
|
|
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|
Principals
Promote sufficient understanding and appreciation of school tutors, family specialists, mental health professionals, nurses, psychologists and social workers.
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Building Trusting Relationships for School Improvement: Implications for Principals and Teachers
Brewster, C. and Railsback, J. (2003, September). By Request. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
http://www.nwrel.org/request/2003sept/index.html
This booklet addresses issues of trust between principals and teachers and among teachers themselves as an element of school improvement. The authors draw on recent research and highlight several schools working on trust building, including a “critical friends group” established at Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon.
|
|
|
Reinventing Education Change Toolkit
IBM (2002).
http://www.reinventingeducation.org/RE3Web
This toolkit, provided free of charge to anyone working in K-12 education, is designed to help school and district leaders to guide the school reform process. The toolkit can be used to diagnose an environment for change, collaborate with members of a school change team, read real-life vignettes from education colleagues, plan a change initiative, and connect with educators worldwide.
|
|
|
Rx for School Nursing
Smolkin, Rachel. (2003). The School Administrator
http://www.aasa.org/publications/saarticledetail.cfm?ItemNumber=181
8&snItemNumber=950&tnItemNumber=951
This article reports on the essential role played by school nurses and creative ways of ensuring that students have access to health personnel. Most solutions involve enlisting help from the community, either in training at the district level or through students in health-related fields who volunteer in schools.
|
Principals
Encourage and facilitate parent and community involvement in schools.
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|
John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary
Great Schools by Design
http://www.archfoundation.org/aaf/documents/JAJ.DiscussionGuide.pdf
This document highlights how renovations at John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary in St. Paul, Minnesota lead to increased student achievement and transformed the school into a center of community. The discussion guide, together with a video describing the innovations at this school, is intended to engage education stakeholders and community members in conversations about creating schools that are centers of communities. It includes a discussion outline and extensive advice on how to effectively facilitate and follow up on these community conversations.
|
|
|
Broad Creek Middle School, Carteret, NC
The Real D.E.A.L. Schools
http://www.governor.state.nc.us/Office/Education/_pdf/RealDeal_Booklet.pdf
Broad Creek Middle School is one of eight schools honored by North Carolina Governor Mike Easley as a school that leads the state in both student achievement and teacher working conditions. Parental involvement and volunteers are an integral part of the school’s success. Volunteer programs include tutoring, mentoring and a partnership with a group of local marines.
|
|
|
|
Growing Community Schools: The Role of Cross-Boundary Leadership
Blank, M. et al. (2006). Coalition for Community Schools.
http://www.communityschools.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=60
This report profiles eleven communities taking action to create community schools by bringing together different levels of leadership from within schools and the community. On the basis of the experiences and success of these communities, the authors describe strategies for developing diverse financing, effecting change through technical assistance and professional development, collecting data, and building broad public support.
|
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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.
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Answering the Perplexities of Parent Involvment
ASCD 2006 Annual Conference Blog
http://ascd.typepad.com/annualconference/2006/04/answering_the_p.html
This blog, from the Association of Curriculum Supervision and Development, addresses strategies for getting more Hispanic and African American parents involved in their children’s schools. The author talks about the different understandings of “parent involvement” that she encountered in her work as a parent liaison and describes many of the factors that make it difficult for parents to find the time to come to school. Finally, she offers a list of strategies, such as providing child care during meetings and assisting with transportation, which can lead to successful involvement when implemented together.
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Community Involvement: Is It Rinky Dink or a Chance to Think?
Hill, Frank. (2005).
http://www.schoolfacilities.com/cd_1679.aspx
Hill proposes ways for school administrators to make community involvement in facilities planning more than just a hoop to jump through. He offers advice on selecting a group reflective of the community, increasing the likelihood of their involvement, educating them on the issues, facilitating successful meetings and following up afterward.
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For Generations to Come: A Leadership Guide to Renewing Public School Buildings
21st Century School Fund
http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/Documents/Organizing_Manual.pdf
This "how-to" manual is designed for individuals interested in modernizing or building new public school facilities in their neighborhoods. Modeled after an innovative public-private development partnership, this tool details the importance of school facilities and community involvement, then explains the five basic steps to planning a new school or renovating an existing building: assessment, envisioning, planning, development and implementation. The school assessment section of the manual (pp 25-33) includes a detailed description of steps that community members must take to assess their own strengths and weaknesses, needs of the school, building needs, financial needs, etc. This section includes an checklist of elements to look for during an assessment process and explains how to present assessment results in meaningful ways that lead to action.
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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.
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Making the Most of Volunteers
Grossman, J.B. and Kathryn Furano. (2002). Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/152_publication.pdf
This essay explains the kind of infrastructure organizations such as schools need to put in place in order to maximize the effectiveness of volunteers. The authors discuss screening, training and skills, on-going management and support (including assigning tasks, providing support and supervision), and cost implications.
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National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Strategies
National PTA.
http://www.pta.org/archive_article_details_1118251710359.html
Strategy four pertains to volunteer programs, listing quality indicators of successful volunteer programs and suggesting the types of materials volunteers should receive during training. Successful programs make parents and other volunteers feel welcome, utilize their skills and expertise, and provide opportunities for working parents to help in creative ways.
|
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Schools Uniting Neighborhoods
Annie E. Casey Foundation
http://www.aecf.org/publications/data/schools_uniting.pdf
The SUN Initiative turns local public schools into community learning centers by offering before and after school classes, parent support and involvement activities, community educational and cultural events, and social services for young people and their families. The publication details a pilot effort to implement the initiative in Portland. It includes lessons learned and recommendations for connecting work in schools/communities with the agenda of political leaders.
|
|
|
|
Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen’s Guide to Planning and Design
Bingler, S., Quinn, L., and Sullivan, K. (2003).
http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/publications/Schools_Centers_Community_Nov2003.pdf
The authors examine the challenges and opportunities related to building and renovating schools for the growing number of children in America. They advocate the idea of schools serving as centers of community interaction and emphasize that the process of designing and planning schools should involve the community. The paper enumerates design principles, shows those principles in action thirteen different schools, and explains how to develop and implement a plan to improve school facilities and how to involve different members of the community in that process.
|
District Office
Ensure that the bureaucratic process for engaging volunteers and community members in schools does not limit access or interest in supporting educators.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
(Re)Designing Learning Environments
The George Lucas Educational Foundation
http://www.glef.org/redesigning/html/case.html
This site includes a set of case studies from the George Lucas Educational Foundation highlighting a diverse group of schools across the country which have designed innovative learning communities that help kids learn. Interactive case studies provide background, timelines and strategies for creating or renovating school communities and facilities that work for multiple partners.
|
|
|
|
Growing Community Schools: The Role of Cross-Boundary Leadership
Blank, M. et al. (2006). Coalition for Community Schools.
http://www.communityschools.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=60
This report profiles eleven communities taking action to create community schools by bringing together different levels of leadership from within schools and the community. On the basis of the experiences and success of these communities, the authors describe strategies for developing diverse financing, effecting change through technical assistance and professional development, collecting data, and building broad public support.
|
|
|
Communities in Schools Volunteer Page
http://www.cisnet.org/network/our_network_in.asp?.=NC
This site gives contact addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for all Communities in Schools (CIS) network offices in North Carolina. CIS encourages community members to become involved in schools through mentoring, helping with after-school programs, bringing health specialists into schools, and teaching job skills.
|
| |
|
For Generations to Come: A Leadership Guide to Renewing Public School Buildings
21st Century School Fund
http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/Documents/Organizing_Manual.pdf
This "how-to" manual is designed for individuals interested in modernizing or building new public school facilities in their neighborhoods. Modeled after an innovative public-private development partnership, this tool details the importance of school facilities and community involvement, then explains the five basic steps to planning a new school or renovating an existing building: assessment, envisioning, planning, development and implementation. The school assessment section of the manual (pp 25-33) includes a detailed description of steps that community members must take to assess their own strengths and weaknesses, needs of the school, building needs, financial needs, etc. This section includes an checklist of elements to look for during an assessment process and explains how to present assessment results in meaningful ways that lead to action.
|
|
|
Making the Most of Volunteers
Grossman, J.B. and Kathryn Furano. (2002). Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/152_publication.pdf
This essay explains the kind of infrastructure organizations such as schools need to put in place in order to maximize the effectiveness of volunteers. The authors discuss screening, training and skills, on-going management and support (including assigning tasks, providing support and supervision), and cost implications.
|
|
|
National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Strategies
National PTA.
http://www.pta.org/archive_article_details_1118251710359.html
Strategy four pertains to volunteer programs, listing quality indicators of successful volunteer programs and suggesting the types of materials volunteers should receive during training. Successful programs make parents and other volunteers feel welcome, utilize their skills and expertise, and provide opportunities for working parents to help in creative ways.
|
|
|
Schools Uniting Neighborhoods
Annie E. Casey Foundation
http://www.aecf.org/publications/data/schools_uniting.pdf
The SUN Initiative turns local public schools into community learning centers by offering before and after school classes, parent support and involvement activities, community educational and cultural events, and social services for young people and their families. The publication details a pilot effort to implement the initiative in Portland . The publication includes lessons learned and recommendations for connecting work in schools/communities with the agenda of political leaders.
|
|
|
|
Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen’s Guide to Planning and Design
Bingler, S., Quinn, L., and Sullivan, K. (2003).
http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/publications/Schools_Centers_Community_Nov2003.pdf
The authors examine the challenges and opportunities related to building and renovating schools for the growing number of children in America. They advocate the idea of schools serving as centers of community interaction and emphasize that the process of designing and planning schools should involve the community. The paper enumerates design principles, shows those principles in action thirteen different schools, and explains how to develop and implement a plan to improve school facilities and how to involve different members of the community in that process.
|
Policymakers
Create policies that allow schools to access community services on site and limit the bureaucratic hurdles for community members to support schools.
|
|
John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary
Great Schools by Design
http://www.archfoundation.org/aaf/documents/JAJ.DiscussionGuide.pdf
This document highlights how renovations at John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary in St. Paul, Minnesota lead to increased student achievement and transformed the school into a center of community. The discussion guide, together with a video describing the innovations at this school, is intended to engage education stakeholders and community members in conversations about creating schools that are centers of communities. It includes a discussion outline and extensive advice on how to effectively facilitate and follow up on these community conversations.
|
|
|
|
Growing Community Schools: The Role of Cross-Boundary Leadership
Blank, M. et al. (2006). Coalition for Community Schools.
http://www.communityschools.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=60
This report profiles eleven communities taking action to create community schools by bringing together different levels of leadership from within schools and the community. On the basis of the experiences and success of these communities, the authors describe strategies for developing diverse financing, effecting change through technical assistance and professional development, collecting data, and building broad public support.
|
| |
|
For Generations to Come: A Leadership Guide to Renewing Public School Buildings
21st Century School Fund
http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/Documents/Organizing_Manual.pdf
This "how-to" manual is designed for individuals interested in modernizing or building new public school facilities in their neighborhoods. Modeled after an innovative public-private development partnership, this tool details the importance of school facilities and community involvement, then explains the five basic steps to planning a new school or renovating an existing building: assessment, envisioning, planning, development and implementation. The school assessment section of the manual (pp 25-33) includes a detailed description of steps that community members must take to assess their own strengths and weaknesses, needs of the school, building needs, financial needs, etc. This section includes an checklist of elements to look for during an assessment process and explains how to present assessment results in meaningful ways that lead to action.
|
|
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|
National School Boards Association School Health Programs
http://nasbe.org/HealthySchools/Health_Policies.html
To assist policymakers and others in the school community to make informed decisions, NSBA has developed the School Health Resource Database, an ever-expanding source of up-to-date information and materials, including sample school district policies, journal articles, research summaries, fact sheets, and more. This resource includes information related to school health professionals and support personnel.
|
|
|
|
Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen’s Guide to Planning and Design
Bingler, S., Quinn, L., and Sullivan, K. (2003).
http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/publications/Schools_Centers_Community_Nov2003.pdf
The authors examine the challenges and opportunities related to building and renovating schools for the growing number of children in America. They advocate the idea of schools serving as centers of community interaction and emphasize that the process of designing and planning schools should involve the community. The paper enumerates design principles, shows those principles in action thirteen different schools, and explains how to develop and implement a plan to improve school facilities and how to involve different members of the community in that process.
|
Policymakers
Provide sufficient resources and support for school tutors, family specialists, mental health professionals, nurses, psychologists and social workers.
|
|
|
Sustaining School Improvement: Resource Allocation
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. (2003).
http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/LeadershipOrganizationDevelopment
/5031TG_resourcefolio.pdf
This document outlines the key elements of school budgeting and resource allocation, offers strategies that school leadership teams can use to monitor and support responsible resource allocation within a building, provides a rubric for evaluating resource allocation, and shares a ‘success story’ from Huntington Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska.
|
|
|
(Re)Designing Learning Environments
The George Lucas Educational Foundation
http://www.glef.org/redesigning/html/case.html
This site includes a set of diverse case studies from the George Lucas Educational Foundation highlighting a diverse group of schools across the country which have designed innovative learning communities that help kids learn. Interactive case studies provide background, timelines and strategies for creating or renovating school communities and facilities that work for multiple partners.
|
|
|
Rx for School Nursing
Smolkin, Rachel. (2003). The School Administrator
http://www.aasa.org/publications/saarticledetail.cfm?ItemNumber=181
8&snItemNumber=950&tnItemNumber=951
This article reports on the essential role played by school nurses and creative ways of ensuring that students have access to health personnel. Most solutions involve enlisting help from the community, either in training at the district level or through students in health-related fields who volunteer in schools.
|
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|
