STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE
INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES

WHAT COMMUNIITIES CAN DO

Close the Achievement GapThrough School/Family/Community Partnerships

When responsibility for children's learning is shared by the school, home and community, children have more opportunities for meaningful, engaged learning. Students are able to see the connection between the curriculum in the school and the skills required in the real world.

School/Community Alliances

The problems facing children and families stem from a variety of cultural, economic, political, and health problems. Their solutions require the pooling of resources from public and private sector agencies including:

• Local and state health and human services
• Local businesses
• Religious institutions
• Parent representation from all community ethnic groups
• Community-based social and medical service agencies
• Schools and local education agencies
• Public libraries
• Local universities, colleges, and community colleges
• Community-based service organizations
  

Characteristics of Effective School/Family/Community

Collaborative Partnerships

Schools are challenged to effectively serve an increasingly diverse student population. The challenge for the entire community is how to provide services efficiently and effectively to ensure success for all students.

• The needs of at-risk students are best addressed by collaborative, prevention oriented programs that serve multiple needs and target the family for intervention.
• Use of case management serves the whole child and reduces fragmentation of service delivery.
• The perspectives of all stakeholders are considered. A needs assessment is a helpful planning tool. Written agreements describing new roles, responsibilities, and procedures guide the operation of the collaborative.
• Issues of child and family confidentiality should be addressed.
• By being sensitive to the needs of individual families, the family is targeted for intervention. Successful programs serve families by meeting the needs of individual parents. Service areas for consideration include a range of medical, mental health, legal, and social services.
• Location of all services should be a consideration. Locating services together enhances the probability that families will receive the array of services needed. When this is not possible, develop plans for making services available.
• An effective communication is needed to keep all collaborative members informed.
• Collaborative funding and access to ongoing time, space, and professional expertise resources are set aside on an annual basis. Funding should not be subject to year-to-year budgets or limited sources.

Conducting a Needs Assessment

Below are some considerations to keep in mind as you begin planning collaboration between your schools and communities.

• What are local issues or challenges that affect your schools or community at this time?
• What needs to happen to address these issues or challenges?
• How can you use partnerships to better address the issues that affect your schools and community?
• Where do you see your school district, school, program, or community in two to five years?
• Examining your resources, what are some potential partnerships that have not been developed?
• What makes partnerships work?

Goals for Community Involvement

• Schools, families, and community members collaborate by forming an action team to establish a family and community involvement program.
• Schools work with families and the community to define a wide array of ways in which families and community members can be involved in the school.
• Schools work with families and the community to define ways in which medical and human resources can best be utilized to meet the needs of individual children.
• Identify activities that are mutually meaningful and valuable to the school, students, parents, families, and community members.
• Create in-school experiences for family members that are positive, welcoming, and responsive to family needs.
• Emphasize communication between school and home and between school and the community.
• Examine the possibility of redefining schools as community learning centers that offer educational, social, and recreational activities to adults as well as to children.
• Explore ways schools can reach out to community constituencies—senior citizens, clergy, businesses, service clubs, media services—and solicit their support and involvement.
• Provide professional development for school personnel in the areas of communicating with parents and care givers, assessing family needs, and serving as members of planning groups.
• Students benefit from the partnership of school, family, and community through improved achievement, more positive attitudes and behavior, improved self-esteem, and better attendance.

Biblography

• Epstein, Joyce L. (1995). "School/Family?community Partnerships: Caring for the Children We Share", PhiDelta Kappan, 76(9), p.701.
• NCREL: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory ("Path ways to School Improvement", "Constructing School Partnerships with Families and Community Groups").
• Wang, Margaret C. and John A. Kovah (2000). "Bridging the Achievement Gap in Urban Schools: Reducing Educational Segregation and Advancing Resilience-Promoting Strategies", Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices edited by Belinda Williams.