Community

Families raising children while juggling the stress of supporting them in this day and age

is no small undertaking. Economic hardships, gangs, drugs, and other dangers only enhance the

struggle. An African proverb says that it takes a village to raise a child. This saying is more true

today than ever before. Because students spend a large portion of their day in school 180 days

out of the year, educators play an important role in the lives of their students. This role comes

with a responsibility. ​“Superintendents, principals, and teachers play an integral role in involving

families in their children’s education,” ​(Jordan, Orozco, Averett, A., & SEDL, 2002, p.49). The

photo essay​ submitted with this paper is an example of the kind of collaboration between parents

and the community that was needed to help ensure the success of our students. The open house

was an event I was a part of heading up, to involve the parents and the community in the lives of

the students in the co-op I taught at. About 60 people came to see the work done, watch the

presentations, and enjoy seeing the students’ learning over the course of the year.

According to research, the partnership between families, educators, and the community

has a direct impact on student learning, while improving the school and strengthening families

and neighborhoods, (​Valli, Stefanski, & Jacobson, 2016). This partnership looks different in each

community, but it should reflect the culture, needs, and interests of the families involved.

Creating a family-friendly school is one way schools can remove potential barriers and give

access to parents, (Ferguson, 2005).​ Another way is by networking through community

organizations, which was created to increase parental involvement for the purpose of building

community capacity and reforming schools, (Lopez, 2003). One of the broader goals is to

improve the educational outcome of students. The photo essay submitted with this paper is an
example of how I collaborated with the parents and broader community to share in the learning

of the students. The continual support from the parents and the community at large made all the

difference in the students’ education that year.

There is a tremendous amount of material that educators are required to cover to meet the

state requirements for a student’s education. In truth, there is not enough time in the year to

cover it all effectively, and teachers must sort through the standards and pick the most important

ones to cover in the time they are given. Many students are not able to master the concepts taught

during the school day and require additional practice to become proficient. For this reason,

homework is often sent home that provides this additional practice. It is also sent home so that

assignments can be completed in a timely manner in order to progress through the required

material. Many parents often feel inadequate to be able to help their children with their

homework. “In fact, current research stresses the need for school staff to engage family members

in learning strategies and techniques to use at home to support classroom lessons” (SEDL, 2004,

p.2). Much of the work presented in the open house from the photo essay is an example the

collaboration that was achieved between the myself and the parents of the students I taught, as

well as the other teachers. My students could not have acquired the wealth of knowledge and

understanding they did without that relationship. It took a village.

 References

Ferguson, C., & Southwest Educational Development Lab., A. T. N. C. for C. and F. C. with S.

(2005). ​Developing a Collaborative Team Approach to Support Family and Community

Connections With Schools: What Can School Leaders Do?Southwest Educational

Development Laboratory​. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Retrieved from

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED484839.pdf

Jordan, C., Orozco, E., Averett, A., & SEDL National Center for Family and Community

Connections with Schools. (2002). ​Emerging Issues in School, Family, & Community

Connections. Annual Synthesis 2001​. ​National Center for Family and Community

Connections with Schools.​ National Center for Family and Community Connections with

Schools. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED536949.pdf

Lopez, M. E. (2003). Transforming schools through community organizing: A research review.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project; Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Retrieved from

http://youthjusticenc.org/download/education-justice/prevention-intervention-

alternatives/Transforming%20Schools%20Through%20Community%20Organizing:%20A%

20Research%20Review.pdf

SEDL National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools. (2004). ​Learning

outside of the School Classroom: What Teachers Can Do to Involve Family in Supporting

Classroom Instruction. A Strategy Brief of the National Center for Family and Community

Connections with Schools​. ​National Center for Family and Community Connections with
 Schools.​ National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools. Retrieved

from ​https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED538306.pdf

Valli, L., Stefanski, A., & Jacobson, R. (2016). School-community partnership models:

Implications for leadership. ​International Journal of Leadership in Education,21(​ 1), 31-49.

doi:10.1080/13603124.2015.1124925