For example, an inner-city school in Jackson, Mississippi, partnered with local doctors to provide a free health screening day for all parents in the community. Because the principal of a small school is most directly responsible for maintaining the relationship between the school and the community, he or she must develop a strategy for school-community relations which takes into account the community's values and power hierarchy. She’s on Twitter @BarbBlackburn. WHAT PROBLEMS MIGHT PRINCIPALS ENCOUNTER? But a related issue is lack of knowledge or training. Whether the school principal, district public information officer, or the superintendent responds, the basic response should be the same: (1) We are trying to find out what caused the fire to ensure that the school is safe; (2) We have already set up alternative teaching venues, with the cooperation of other staff; (3) We will restore the damaged areas as soon as we can reasonably do so without interfering with the … If you like a varied workday, this could be the job for you. Teacher Evaluator. Improving parent engagement requires an intentional plan of action. The most successful teachers appear to be those who are welcome in community homes, participate in community activities, and invite community members to their homes (McBeath and others 1983b). McBeath, Gerald A., and others. ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools Las Cruces NM. The literature repeatedly discusses the importance of both learning from families about their children as well as sharing information about their children’s schooling with them. Use your school newsletter and also include information on your school’s social media accounts. Teachers who involve parents have a more positive attitude about families and stereotype them less. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Provide timely, accurate information to internal and external audiences. Browse Rita’s 2020 List! Small school principals have the opportunity to interact with the community in many ways that may help to develop positive relations. Be careful about assumptions and stereotypes about families. On the other hand, fewer than half of the principals reported being involved in civic and community affairs unrelated to the school. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! It is also important to provide support and resources for the families of your students, although the specific types will vary depending on your specific population. Don’t rely on a parent engagement program based solely on fund-raising or other resource-focused programs. Be sure to share necessary information about the school, but also include topics of interest to parents. Even if you do not live in the same community as your students, every family in that community likely knows who you are as the principal of the school. Libraries are important hubs and can provide meaningful connection points outside the school gates. ... in the education process and what their role is. Time is a common roadblock to coordinated parent/family involvement. Use libraries to advocate for school-community partnerships and student learning. Make Community Involvement a Priority for Your School. Publish a family-friendly school newsletter on a regular, consistent basis. Introduction: Schools are seen as increasingly important 5 2. They are aware of the stereotypes present among school employees and other parents and may resist participating in parent activities where those stereotypes may be displayed. Create and publicize sponsorship and donation needs throughout your community, to give local organizations and businesses the opportunity to partner with your school. This truly spoke to me! A Principal’s Top 10 list for Successful Communications (Over) Pattonville School-Community Relations. The same study found that successful school-community relations prevailed in schools which allowed citizens to use the library; advertised events by newspaper, radio, or television; had a cafeteria or restaurant service; or opened gym or pool facilities to community members. For instance, Wilson and Stansberry (l976) suggest that principals might: --interpret school programs for the community, --determine community expectations of the school, --communicate with parents through the media and in group conferences, --arrange for parents to visit the school, --work with parent associations and related groups, --plan and coordinate the visits of school people to homes of students, --work with industry and community image groups, --determine the community power structure. Differing expectations and power struggles between community groups or between school administrators and community groups can result in problems for the principal. Ezeocha (2000) views the roles of principals as supervision of instruction, curriculum development and evaluation, school community relationship, staff personnel administration, student personnel administration, management of school finance and school physical facilities. You can then make the learning center available to these and other groups for meetings. Also, the arguments of principals about which principals are often indirectly held accountable to the retention of quality teachers and the welfare of the school community (Preston, Jakubiec, & Kooymans, 2013) support the fact that an immediate three-way communication (school, family, and community) should be established in order to respond to the shifting attitudes and demands from the public. The purpose of this study is to analyze the role of principal in parental participation in education at secondary level in district PRINCIPALS IN RURAL ALASKA: A DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE. Monograph No. The Principal's Role in School-Community Relations. McBeath, Gerald A., and others. For instance, Wilson and Stansberry (l976) suggest that principals might: --interpret school programs for the community. privately owned and located server. Arlington, VA: American Association of School Administrators, 1983. Learn how your comment data is processed. ED 233 841. Similarly, parents of limited means share these concerns and resist participating in programs where involvement or recognition is determined by the economic resources you can contribute to the school. He is currently the principal of Stony Lane Elementary School in Paramus, New Jersey. Another critical part of your job is leading a coordinated school-wide effort to interact with families in ways that support students, families, the school, and the larger community. Principals’ access to school resources, deep and sustained roots with local families, and understanding of community needs place them in a strategic … The strategies that follow are applicable to all the families in your school, but you will need to customize specific activities within each strategy to best meet the needs of particular families or groups of families. previously produced by ERIC.� No new content will ever appear here Because small and rural schools often are closely identified with the community, community cooperation is not difficult to secure (Pelton 1983). Fairbanks, AK: Center for Cross-Cultural Studies and The Institute of Social and Economic Research, 1983a. Counsel school board members on appropriate role in a crisis or emergency. Assure that your planning team is diverse and involves each group that will be part of the plan. A school principal must be a versatile leader. Key Words: challenges for rural principals; gender equity, school community relations, small schools Considerable research has verified a strong link between effective leadership practices and high levels of student learning and achievement (Leithwood, There is growing evidence that well-designed programs and practices that incorporate the school, family, and community benefit students, families, and schools. Your outreach must be culturally sensitive and specific to each cultural group. Be strategic, work with your school board to create an innovative new 21 st century strategic plan to drive the school successfully into the future. Do not organize your parent engagement program around majority, middle-class norms and values. With the advent of site-based management, assistant principals are playing a greater role in ensuring the academic success of students by helping to develop new curricula, evaluating teachers, and dealing with school-community relations—responsibilities previously assumed solely by the principal. Be cautious about relying on training, books and other resources that makes generalizations about poor families or families of diverse cultures. Pelton, Mary Helen White. Promote the use of personal notes, e-mails, and phone calls to build a strong connection with families. Need a Good Read? It’s important to remember that, just as you balance the common needs of all your students with specific, individual attention, you will need to do the same with the families in your school. Collaborate with other agencies or groups in the area to create a framework for delivery of services, such as immunization clinics or dental and medical services. School-Community Relations is … RURAL TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IN ALASKA. Ron works with middle grades schools across the country and is the author of numerous books including The School Leader’s Guide to Social Media with J. Howard Johnston, and Principalship from A to Z with Barbara Blackburn (2nd Edition available in April 2016). "Politics, Power and Pressure." School principals are warmly committed to having a unit of planned and specialized people on public relations in their schools. A large part of any school principal’s job is to handle student discipline. The school and the community are the mainsprings of effective and powerful forces that can create wholesome climate for mutual gains and betterment.
4. In fact, most schools that survey students' perceptions of community wind up with mediocre mean scores. The Role of the Principal in Schools Student Discipline Chief. ED 233 839. One possibility is to create a family and community learning center. Manhattan, KS: Center for the Study of Principalship, 1976. School and Community Relations 1. Related posts: What is the Role of Headmaster or Principal […] ED 228 004. Too often, much of that time is negative, coming after a major discipline problem or crisis. Her latest book, Motivating Struggling Learners: 10 Ways to Build Student Success, was published in July 2015. The Principal’s Role in Successful Schools: ... community’s role) as complementary to the school. However, principal’ role in parental participation in education is negligible in Pakistan. PERFORMANCE PROFILE OF PRINCIPALS' FUNCTIONS--EVALUATOR TRAINING PROGRAM. Another alternative is to craft volunteer opportunities that capitalize on family members’ expertise, abilities, and interests. Parent involvement is more than a monthly meeting at the school; it is the sum of all your interactions with parents and family members of your students. The role of a principal is to provide strategic direction in the school system. ED 234 972. Provide clear, inviting, noticeable directional signs. A community resource map can come in the form of a hand-drawn map (use a graphic facilitator), Google Map, Mind Map or even a spreadsheet with some visual outputs. Tom Marshall is a former teacher and staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. This has affected the quality of education in the country. They may resist sharing information that reinforces assumptions they believe school employees hold about their family and their child. Salt Lake City, UT: l982. Good communication is the key to any friendship; it is no different in schools." Administrators who have a community-oriented philosophy are more likely to have positive school-community relations (Charlton 1983). And the payoffs in student achievement can be tremendous! When parents are involved both at home and at school, students do better in school and stay in school longer. Too often, much of that time is negative, coming after a major discipline problem or crisis. Key Insights for New and Aspiring School Leaders, Use Elevator Pitches to Explore Critical Issues. Required fields are marked *. It’s important to work with teachers and other staff to become knowledgeable about the diversity present in your school community. "Ten Best Ways to Get the Community to Come to the School." Charlton, Colleen A. As a principal, you likely spend time working with parents and other family members of your students. As you create a library of materials they can access, don’t forget to have material that is written in appropriate language. “ It takes a village to raise a child.”
-African Proverb
3. Tom runs a course for literacy coaches from around New Jersey, coordinates the Littogether Teacher Leader Project, and is the founder of the New Jersey Literacy Leaders' Network, a learning group of … Be sensitive to the diversity in your community. In any given day the principal can be a curriculum consultant, budget analyst, public relations representative, mediator, disciplinarian, and manager. Your email address will not be published. Also the principals management techniques can mar or prosper effective school community relations. Approaches to school governance and the changing role of school leaders 6 2.1 Introduction 6 2.2 Old Public Administration 6 2.3 New Public Management 8 2.4 Organisational Learning 11 2.5 Inconsistent demands 13 Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. All parents want to be active partners in their children’s education. --arrange for parents to visit the school. CONCLUSION Based on the findings of the study, we conclude that there is more to effective school-community relations order than the principals’ management techniques. Your email address will not be published. Make sure Latino, African-American and other non-white parents understand you want their advice and leadership. techniques can mar or prosper school community relations. An important part of parent engagement is their sense of efficacy, believing that they can contribute to their child’s education. As a principal, you likely spend time working with parents and other family members of your students. Improve the quality of children's learning and growing, 2. Seek ways to move beyond the doors of your school and support the larger community. Wilson, Alfred P., and Tony L. Stanberry. Please note that this site is privately owned and is in no way related STAFF DEVELOPMENT IN SMALL AND RURAL DISTRICTS. You can build a terrific center for families, but if no one uses it, you have wasted your time. (Author/MLF) Principal is the bridge between community and school. Talking to Our Students about the Capitol Riots, A Toolbox Packed with Practical Math Ideas, Rocking the Constitution in Grade 8 History Class, 9 Ways to Support Staff and Teachers Right Now. A majority of the administrators surveyed also stated that parents wanted feedback from teachers and principals on how well their children were doing in school. Too often school communication occurs just one way, school to family, and is just about problems rather than successes. You might identify opportunities for students to participate in community service activities. Schools often create structures for parents to share information, but those systems are typically built on middle-class norms about when and how to interact with the school. This task involves considering many factors including those which are examined in this Digest: the role of the principal and of the community, potential problems, evaluation procedures, and ways to involve the community. Also, provide ways for families to participate in meaningful decision-making roles. 3, Develop understanding, enthusiasm, and support for the community's program of public edu­ cation (12:424), All of these purposes must be kept in mind when developing a public relation program. A HANDBOOK FOR SUPERINTENDENTS AND SCHOOL BOARDS. Implement a Greeter Program. Seek opportunities for parents of limited means to participate in decision-making groups. —Jim Dunn, president-elect, NSPRA You will find that the different perspectives can add depth to your discussions, and family members will appreciate that you value their input. If you have a large percentage of families who do not speak English as their native language, provide language training so that you and your teachers can communicate on a basic level with the family members. Remember you are a 21 st Century Principal and your ultimate goal is to leave the school in a better place than you found it. Also recognize that a diverse parent community, regardless of socio-economic status, reflects a variety of values, beliefs about the role of parents and their relationship to school, and comfort in interacting with school personnel. Another way principals can contribute to the community is by recruiting community-minded teachers, as several studies have indicated. Identify ways to meet and talk with families at churches or community centers off campus. Do you need to establish bilingual hotlines and help lines? TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION STRATEGIES FOR SMALLER SCHOOLS. His principal… ADVERTISEMENTS: Community is a part of the society and education is the counterpart of both the above mentioned elements. Just as two-way communication is essential, so is creating opportunities for families of diverse backgrounds to share their knowledge and skills. Husen, Peter. Therefore, you must first understand your families and then match your resources to their needs. MiddleWeb is all about the middle grades, with great 4-8 resources, book reviews, and guest posts by educators who support the success of young adolescents. HOW CAN PRINCIPALS EVALUATE SCHOOL-COMMUNITY RELATIONS? As stated earlier, do not rely on a single book or training session to form generalizations about poor or Latino families. Many parents are more comfortable interacting with school personnel in smaller, more intimate settings where it may be possible to share information and ask questions. Parents are often concerned about being dismissed due to language or cultural barriers. Do you need to publish a version in a different language? Siefert, Edward H., and William H. Kurtz. This is NOT a government sponsored SMALL DISTRICT TEACHER STUDY. Make sure those who need it the most know it exists and feel they’ll be welcomed if they come. Keep some of the resource materials in the main office, with a note that more are available in the resource center. For this reason, McBeath and others (1983a) claim that principals, particularly new ones, should participate in civic activities outside of the school. Find a physical space with adult-sized furnishings – then add basic refreshments and information helpful to parents. The design was used to determine the extent effective school-community relations acted as a key performance indicator for the secondary school administrator. In addition, recruitment materials should include community information (Seifert and Kurtz 1983). The short answer is, no. I just saw this on Twitter--a listing of op-ed pieces and... Today's students are tomorrow's pioneers. Because of limited time, principals need to determine carefully the most feasible methods for evaluating each situation. Few teachers or administrators are prepared in advance to work with families and communities as partners in their children’s education. "Principals who know and use proven public relations practices have schools where morale is high, parents are involved, and students have a real sense of pride. to any Federal agency or ERIC unit.� Further, this site is using a Finally, parents value a personal connection with the teacher and others in the school who work with their son or daughter, so encourage communication from all school personnel. Remember, these schools are of low socioeconomic sta-tus; therefore, money is very limited. Students do best when their parents play four key roles related to their child’s learning: teacher, supporter, advocate, and decision maker. 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