When teachers, parents, and community members work together, children benefit (Henderson and Mapp 2002). This is especially true when the collaboration is coordinated and focused as it was for the Greenteam, a science ecology club and an event created by a network of educators, elementary students, and science professionals. The club and a…

The increasingly diverse nature of today's schools and the need to increase the achievement of all students, no matter their background, requires 21st-century teachers to develop critical cultural competence. Looking at data is not enough. We have to know who our students are! This book shows you how to provide professional development that…

The purpose of this document (one in a series of six) is to provide a framework for organizing a community volunteer program to meet the instructional and home-school-community relations goals of an individually guided education school. The first steps in starting a volunteer program are to identify the instructional need for volunteer assistance,…

One of the most difficult school-community relation problems relates to the principal's involvement with the teachers and parents of the area. Poor communication and limited time are chief contributors to the problem and improvement requires a firm plan of operation. Here are eight ideas that can be utilized in developing a program of effective…

Community involvement should be dynamically and persistently cultivated: it can enhance the learning of the student and is crucial to the continuing support of the public schools. Suggests seven planning phases that might be helpful toward developing effective community involvement. (Author/RK)

The parent-teacher conference is widely endorsed as an effective method of reporting pupil progress. They are particularly valuable because the conferences provide an opportunity for two-way communication about students. The understanding gained in a conference can help the school and home work together to bring out the maximum in a student.…

The open house can be one of the most lively and interesting means of acquainting a community with its schools. Its unique character makes possible person-to-person contact with many individuals. Handled properly, the open house can encourage and strengthen school-community cooperation all through the year. It can increase public understanding and…

Presents nine public relations programs developed for a Connecticut elementary school that were adapted from other schools and tailored to the school's specific needs. (MD)

Discusses issues raised by irrational extreme groups, and suggests need for the schools to work with concerned parents to meet the developmental needs of young people. Presented at American School Health Association, November, 1969. (CJ)

This manual, aimed at all levels of educational development, presents procedures and suggestions for designing and conducting workshop in community-school relations. Part A discusses situations in which workshops can be beneficial, the objectives for a community-school workshop and the cost. Part B offers explicit directions for conducting the…

This project came about after discussions with the general manager of the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association and Jeanette Clarkin-Phillips (University of Waikato) about setting up a research partnership to support the teachers at Taitoko Kindergarten in Levin. The teachers were establishing an integrated community centre (the whanau…

High levels of parent involvement in their children's education result in higher student achievement; higher attendance levels; a decline in dropout rates; fewer disciplinary problems; and better student motivation, self-esteem, and behavior. Since unacknowledged parents withdraw from the school, schools should acknowledge parent participation. To…

This handbook offers school districts a suggested framework for planning the implementation of a sex education program with minimal funds, using existing teachers, and building on existing support among parents, students, faculty, and administrators. In the first section of the guide, the planning and implementation process is briefly described,…

Describes the approach used by one school district for increasing parent involvement in the schools and improving community understanding and support of school personnel and programs. (JG)

An organized volunteer program for parents and community members can be a valuable form of instructional and administrative support for schools as financial resources decline. The rationale for establishing such a parent/community program should be thoroughly probed, and possible constraints should be identified at the outset. Support from the…