Building effective school–community partnerships in Aboriginal remote school settings

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Graeme Gower ◽  
Cath Ferguson ◽  
Simon Forrest
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
School Community ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Aboriginal Peoples ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Effective School ◽  
School Settings ◽  
School And Community ◽  
Successful School ◽  
Community Relationships

Abstract The benefits of school and community partnerships are well documented in government reports and the academic literature. A number of government initiatives have been introduced to actively involve parents and the community in school matters. In addition, various agencies have produced resource kits and guidelines to assist schools and communities to develop and foster partnerships, and partnership agreements. Much of this study has focused on working with Aboriginal peoples. The use of the term, ‘Aboriginal’ in this paper refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Initiatives such as ‘What Works’ have had some success in building strong Aboriginal community and school partnerships, however, the literature also reveals that despite such initiatives, the levels of success vary from school to school, with some partnerships unable to develop or be sustained. In responding to a gap in the current knowledge, the authors examine the value of school–community partnerships in a rural and remote school where the percentage of Aboriginal Australian students is high. A brief summary of the outcomes of some of the major initiatives with aims to build effective school and community partnerships is provided. This is followed by the findings from a small pilot research study on the implementation of initiatives to build strong school–community relationships in rural and remote Indigenous school settings in Western Australia. The challenges that may inhibit the establishment of successful school–community relationships/collaboration are discussed and suggestions provided on how these challenges can be addressed.

scholarly journals Quest for Mutual School-Community Relationship In Nigeria: The Critical Centrifugal Forces

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Ige Akindele Matthew
Keyword(s):  
Educational System ◽  
School Community ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Centrifugal Forces ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Activities ◽  
School And Community ◽  
Community Relationship ◽  
Community Relationships

<p>Mutual school-community relationship is imperative in the educational system due to the associated benefits. One of the purposes of establishing a school is to serve the immediate community. A community also needs to monitor and supervise the schools located within it, attend to their needs, challenges, as well as monitor their progress, so that there will be effective management of the schools while the set objectives can be achieved.  In this paper, critical forces pulling schools and communities apart (i.e. centrifugal forces) in Nigeria, such as theft of school properties, encroachment into school’s land/territory, interference in school’s activities, invasion of school by hoodlums, ritual killings, and obstruction of movement of staff, indiscipline of pupils/students and teachers,  as well as the apathy of school to community’s activities, are examined. To tackle the forces and achieve mutual school-community relationships, all hands must be on deck, particularly, by the parties to the school and community relationship. In this case, non-apathy of school to community activities, prevention of theft of school properties, non-interference of community members in school affairs, non-interference of parents and community in school affairs, among others, are recommended</p><p><em>Hubungan antara sekolah dan masyarakat sangat penting dalam sistem pendidikan karena manfaat yang ada di dalamnya. Salah satu tujuan pendirian sekolah adalah untuk melayani masyarakat yang berada di sekitarnya. Masyarakat juga perlu memantau dan mengawasi sekolah-sekolah yang berada disekelilingnya, memperhatikan kebutuhan mereka, tantangan, serta memantau kemajuan mereka, sehingga akan tercipta manajemen sekolah yang efektif sementara tujuan yang ditetapkan juga dapat tercapai. Tulisan ini menganalisa kekuatan kritis yang  memisahkan antara sekolah dan masyarakat (yaitu kekuatan sentrifugal) di Nigeria, seperti pencurian properti sekolah, gangguan lingkungan sekolah, campur tangan dalam kegiatan sekolah, invasi sekolah oleh preman, ritual pembunuhan, gangguan akan aktivitas staf sekolah, ketidakdisiplinan siswa dan guru, serta sikap apatis sekolah terhadap kegiatan masyarakat. Untuk mengatasi kekuatan tersebut dan mencapai hubungan timbal balik sekolah-masyarakat, semua pihak harus bersinergi, terutama pihak-pihak sekolah dan hubungan dalam masyarakat. Sebagai solusi, ada beberapa kegiatan yang direkomendasikan, diantaranya tidak apatisnya sekolah akan kegiatan masyarakat, pencegahan pencurian properti sekolah, tidak adanya campur tangan anggota masyarakat dalam urusan sekolah, tidak adanya campur tangan orang tua dan masyarakat dalam urusan sekolah</em></p>

Service Beyond the Classroom: Teachers and School Community Relationships

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-102
Author(s):  
Merylann J. Schuttloffel ◽  
Joan Thompson ◽  
Sarah Pickert
Keyword(s):  
School Community ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Community Relationships

A Community-School Problem-Solving Approach to the Drug Situation

1974 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-168
Author(s):  
Donald J. Wolk ◽  
Anthony J. Tomanio
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
School Community ◽  
Community School ◽  
Personal Learning ◽  
School Problem ◽  
School And Community ◽  
Problem Solving Process ◽  
The One ◽  
Full Day

The following paper describes a program designed to involve school and community persons in an action-oriented problem-solving process related to increased drug use in the schools. A total of 104 persons attended the one full day and two followup sessions. Results from three evaluative methods revealed that participants experienced personal learning, increased understanding and sensitivity to others; and they examined, evolved and worked on concrete plans to resolve identified school-community problems related to drugs and communication. Recommendations for future programs are stated.

Chapter V: School and Community Relationships

1952 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-328
Author(s):  
M. R. Sumption
Keyword(s):  
School And Community ◽  
Community Relationships

Creating functional and sustainable School–Community Partnerships: Lessons from three South African cases

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1001-1019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phumlani Erasmus Myende
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
South African ◽  
School Community ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Participative Leadership ◽  
Reflective Journal ◽  
Spheres Of Influence ◽  
Group A ◽  
Overlapping Spheres

Globally, there is agreement that school–community partnerships are one of the mechanisms to address challenges that schools cannot address alone. However, evidence suggests that where school–community partnerships have been initiated, their functionality and continuity is not always easy to achieve, and research locally and internationally has not sufficiently addressed this concern. To bridge this gap, guided by Epstein’s theory of overlapping spheres of influence, this paper examined what makes school–community partnerships functional and sustainable. The research used a qualitative case study and employed discursive oriented interviews (both individual and focus group), a researcher’s reflective journal, and document reviews to generate the data. Participants were principals, teachers, and academics from two universities. It was found that for partnerships to be functional and sustainable there is a need to ensure that there is collaborative planning and decision-making, effective two-way communication, eagerness to address power issues, and the creation of a culture that promotes participative leadership. From these findings, the paper concludes that principal’s leadership is only critical at the beginning stage of partnerships, and teacher leadership is central in the functionality and continuity of partnerships. In relation to the theoretical framework, it is further concluded that power is an important element to consider, which either brings partners together or pushes them apart.

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