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A Strong School Community Plan

Decent Essays

ELAD609_52 M7 Discussion
A strong School-Community Plan (SCP) is essential to enhance relations because as Pawlas (2005) explains, “it has a direct link to students. Its purpose is to directly improve and enhance learning for students,” (p. 23). After reading and reflecting, I believe creating goals for the school that develop two-way communication, proactive involvement, and opportunities for the community to become actively involved would be fundamental.
Many principals confuse public relations with a School-Community plan and the terms are not interchangeable. Public Relations relay information to the public, whereas, a SCR plan involves an exchange of dialogue. “Educators’ influence in improving education rests on their ability to guide public opinion and to be guided by it in meeting society’s need,” (Pawlas, 2005, p. 24). It is imperative that we listen, which is a key component of communication, as well as talk. To initiate better communication, surveys can be taken, but the principal should also meet with members of the community so there can be real dialogue. For instance, if the school is working on revising the dress code, a committee could be formed that included parents, teachers, students, and non-parent community members to reach out to other stakeholders, view data, and develop a general idea of multiple perspectives. Although the principal would lead the group, this would be an opportunity to practice listening. Moreover, it is necessary for principals to

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