A former superintendent and principal believes community relations is an extremely important responsibility of today's school administrators. A model is presented for a good community relations program. (Author/MLF)

Develops a two-part scenario involving a principal's failed attempt to convince a reporter to do a "good news" story about his school and a damaging story later written by the reporter about the principal's unwillingness to disclose details of an event that might reflect badly on the school. (JBM)

"Alinsky methods," designed for confrontation, can include packing meetings, requesting marathon sessions, and using dramatic advertising. Developed by Saul Alinsky for oppressed people, the methods can be mitigated by 10 administrator actions, including building openness and trust, having good legal and public relations advice, and…

A national study of superintendents reveals that most superintendents (89.6 percent) consider their relationship with the community to be very important, and most (63.5 percent) spend a great deal of time on that relationship. There is a positive correlation between the importance superintendents assign to their relationship to the community and…

Public-school foundations are generally not expected to provide a substantial portion of their school district's budget. The most successful school foundations use fund raising to build bridges between schools and the community-particularly with nonparents and organizations with no direct connections with schools. Their support is indispensable.…

A comprehensive home-school-community involvement plan aims to create a responsive support system for collaborative action to address educational concerns, quality-of-life issues, and specialized needs. Strategies include enlisting community resources and volunteers, developing school-community partnerships, and converting schools to…

Although David Hornbeck became Philadelphia Schools' new superintendent in September 1994, critics are already saying the honeymoon is over. In a school system characterized by student absenteeism, high dropout rates, minimal community support, and declining resources, Hornbeck's reform agenda (Children Achieving) may receive inadequate support.…

The materials in this manual are designed to help workshop leaders prepare for and present a workshop for school board members on how to contribute to improved communications between the school organization and the community. The workshop covers one process board members and superintendents can use when determining how to communicate school needs,…

This resource book on rural administrative leadership is the result of 1988 interviews with school administrators involved in successful rural educational programs. The material is divided into eight chapters, each self-contained for separate use. Chapter 1, "Getting to Know the Community," addresses qualities of living and working in…

This paper addresses the issue of community relations through a presentation given by the four members of the school board and administration of a medium-sized school district in Salem, Oregon. Community relations is defined as two-way communications between a school district and the public. Public feedback is necessary for improvement of…

This collection of articles is designed to help metropolitan school principals meet the challenges of their positions. It is especially concerned with how principals can contribute to effective education for students of markedly heterogenous backgrounds. The authors deal with such issues as the principalship and metropolitan administration, the…