Questions On School And Business Partnerships

Parent and Community involvement does not occur overnight. I feel that schools must make parent and community involvement a priority, valuing and accepting each other’s differences. Schools, families and communities must work together to support all students in a learning environment to ensure every student is a successful learner. Positive family and school involvement fosters a partnership among my school encouraging students to reach their highest potential academically and in life. Parent and community involvement does not mean stay-at-home mothers coming to school to help as needed, or a businessman stopping by to see events occurring on campus. The role of school, family and community involvement is a partnership incorporating goal-oriented activities for all grade levels linked to academic success and student growth.

“As the demographics of schools shift, the need for multistranded partnerships is underscored by issues of poverty, transience, an aging population, and cultural diversity ” (Cocker, 2009, p.333).

As a new charter school located in a vibrant neighborhood in Wilmington, our school has worked directly with neighbors, community groups, local nonprofit organizations and local elected and government leaders to establish a good relationship and prepare the way for our students and families to benefit from our neighborhood and location. The Brandywine neighborhood where our school is located is in the center of downtown Wilmington, easily accessible to many local businesses and government agencies, and area neighborhoods, by foot and by public transportation. We have worked extensively with local community groups, agencies and organizations to ensure that the relationship between our school and the community is mutually beneficial. When

As an observer at David Lawrence Elementary School, I was able to attend an event located at Florida International University located in North Miami, Florida conducted by David Lawrence and MAST@FIU High School. The event took place on November 23rd 2015. The school’s administrators from David Lawrence, along with eight grade teachers, parents and students also attended the event. The purpose of the event was to recruit students from David Lawrence Elementary School who will be transitioning from Middle School to High School the next school year. During the session valuable information was given to parents in regards to the excellent educational opportunities offer at MAST (Marine Academy of Science and Technology).

The school that I work in is located in Frederick, Maryland. We have nearly 800 students that attend Kindergarten through 5th grade, and with diverse backgrounds. The school is located in a very prosperous neighborhood, with several additional sections of townhomes and apartment complexes which house Section 8. All of these are within walking distance to the school. In Frederick County there are over 2,500 ELL students and more than 11,000 that are FARM (Free And Reduced Meals) students. Our graduation rate is superb with an over 93% graduation rate and a 3.5% dropout rate. This

I teach in the Westside Consolidated Number Five School District in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The school district is a consolidation of three small rural town school districts Bono, Egypt, and Cash, Arkansas in 1968. I met with my mentor Mr. Scott Gaunt the school district superintendent on January 18, 2017 between meetings with district leaders and countywide superintendents. We met and discussed the community relations plan and identified the two most important issues for our district as identified in the poll by the Phi Delta Kappan and the Gallop poll. The issues were the lack of financial support for the school district to provide an adequate education for students and the testing and regulations imposed on school districts that lower educational time for students while in school.

Busch Middle School of Character had a wonderful sense of community, each student, instructor, and family, made sure they were doing their part. I believe it’s important for educators to understand the needs of the families and community of their students because the more resources the better. When schools actively involve parents

Stakeholder loyalty is a key element to a school organization. Having strong partnerships with stakeholders is a valuable resource. According to Pam Robbins and Harvey B. Alvy,

The mission at Zebulon B. Vance High School “is to graduate young adults who are self-directed, intellectually engaged citizens ready for college, career, and life.” Furthermore, it is a communal belief that “all students can learn and achieve at a high level; that an open channel of communication among faculty; students and parents is vital to cultivating student respect, responsibility, and independence; a commitment from all stakeholders creates a safe and nurturing environment through academic performance, extracurricular activities, involvement, positive behavior, and respect for diversity; a secure and supportive climate fosters school pride and citizenship; high academic standards motivate students to realize their highest potentials; cross-curricular instruction and utilization of technology will prepare students for future challenges in work and in life; providing teachers and staff with resources and professional development opportunities promote individual and instructional growth; support from local businesses, universities, and community organizations help students develop life skills and decorum necessary for success in a diverse” world.

W. Edwars Deming, American engineer and management consultant, wrote “a bad system will beat a good person every time.” This quote demonstrates the necessity for a school administrator to establish a school culture that is inviting and characterized by collaboration. In order to intentionally create a welcoming and collaborative school climate, clear, frequent, and inclusive communication is fundamental. Families, staff, and community members should be afforded the opportunity to become involved in enhancing student learning, the decision making processes of the school, and meaningful school-based activities. Opening the lines of communication about possible involvement at a school promotes a good system, in which good people can thrive.

Highland Park’s middle school district is in shambles. District 112 is made up of three unequal middle schools: Northwood, Edgewood, and Elm Place. Although all three schools have a relatively low student to teacher ratios and an average number of students, Northwood’s, demographics, building, and socioeconomic status are widely different than the other two schools. As a result, Northwood does not have a chance to serve local food, impacting local businesses and the town’s commercial momentum.

In Finnie Tyler High School, there is no mission, vision, or goals driving learning. Each teacher does what they want, when they want. This is an ineffective approach to instruction because students have a difficult time making connections between various subject matters and learning does not necessarily build from one concept to the next or even from one class to the next. Another issues is that teachers are professionally isolated, meaning they do not collaborate with one another. Collaboration is extremely important in improving instructional practices.

In order for the principal to develop positive relationships within the community the school needs to demonstrate, and promote the contributions provided. The school needs to adopt an “our children” attitude with the community to share in the benefits for students (Epstein, 2009).

The Woodson Foundation, a large nonprofit social service agency, is teaming up with the public school system in Washington, D.C, to improve student outcomes. It appears the schools have problems with truancy, low student performance and crime. The teachers are discouraged to help students due to the disrespect and behavioral issues in the classroom. The turnover rate for the best teachers is high, they tend to leave and go to schools that aren’t as troubled (629).

School improvement is transformation. It is one of the most important actions of a school. It is a process that schools must use with fidelity to ensure that at all students are given the opportunity to perform and achieve at exemplary levels. School improvement is vital to schools and it is a process that cannot be done in isolation. It requires team work, collaboration, and constant analysis of data and setting of goals. School improvement goals focus on how to meet the needs of students. Addressing the educational needs, funding, and achievement gaps between subgroups is collaborative effort involves everyone that has a vested interest in the schools. These basic measures set the foundation for improvement. And so, if it is the