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Developing Strategic Partnerships in Place-based Education
Introduction
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For the past periods, place-based educational strategies have gone through refurbished attention all over the country having appropriate funding as well as support drawn from private and public funders (Powers, 2004. In spite of the growing attempts, their implementation has never been systematically assessed. Besides, the literature on developing strategies on place-based education has been limited. There is an increasing, body that that is concerned with the place-based highlights, considerations as well as every lesson, which has been learned. These great practices and learning give a helpful framework in support of assessing and implementing various activities within the school. This is because most of the educators are having appropriate ways of putting into action different strategies in education. The federal government has been taking a wide-ranging look at ways in which various policies have been affecting educational systems both in rural and urban regions. In the year 2010 and 2011, several agencies were requested to look into how they could partner with various stakeholders in ensuring that their sectors were achieving the best (Berkes, 2009). The presented reviews have given essential steps toward usefully leveraging federal investments when it to comes integration in educational sectors.
The strategies on place-based education concentrate on a set of matters which community is facing and tackling such issues in an attempt of improving a comprehensive as well as the frameworks of expected results. This is taking various advantages into synergy attained through addressing several issues simultaneously. The concentration on places is for that matter focusing on groups of people affiliated through the geography in place of focusing on programs or rather separating such individuals. Therefore, the major three ways, in which a place-based strategy on education could work. These incorporate: whenever a program is designed towards addressing a spatially focused problem, whenever a place is a well-organized platform in support of service delivery and if the program effects are having a perspective of ‘spilling over’ towards other communities incorporating those that are never taking part on educational issues(Coburn, Penuel & Geil, 2013).). The strategies chosen should be beneficial to every party in order to make the public to be aware of the various outcomes that the program have. Communities which are facing underperforming educational institutions, neighborhood violence, rundown housing as well as poor health should know that such interrelated challenges ought to be faced out by the program chosen (Berkes, 2009). The framework on place-based education assists various governments in responding to different challenges which a country might be facing regarding educational matters and gets various interrelated solutions to such problems.
Most of the educational departments have adopted an approach of ‘place-based strategy’ identifying that most of the government might back strategies towards achieving excellent results in support of their families and kids. This can be done through taking into consideration where various investments are made as well as those investments interrelate with other policies, resources as well as programs. Through the concentrate on different places, educational departments are capable of aligning their duties with that of other government levels towards addressing associated challenges. Also, this is focusing on aligned as well as integrated resources of the public on people together with places about their demands (Berkes, 2009). For the first time, most of the educational departments would be plainly employing the strategy for the unit analysis but never as the set of programs, which the agency funds.
Partnerships between school and the community
According to Martin et al. (2013), centers for community learning initiatives have requested various schools to works towards partnering with the communities together with the faith-based centers. This is meant to support the education of children in the period of their learning hours as well as the summertime. Therefore, there has been remarkable growth all over the world when it comes to global attempts of forging a meaningful association between afterschool and school as well as various summer activities.
Progressively, the area is identifying that such partnerships are significant in the attempts of expanding where, when, how and what scholars are having the capabilities of learning (Martin et al. 2013). There are benefits of the partnerships between school-community to schools, students as well as community organizations. Whenever community organizations and schools decide to work jointly in support of learning, then everyone is likely to benefit from such partnership. The partnership might serve towards strengthening, supporting and even transforming individual partners. This might lead to improved quality programs, efficient use of educational resources as well as the excellent alignment of objectives and syllabuses. Predominantly, learning associations might support the outcomes of students. For instance, the Massachusetts Afterschool Research Study established that the programs on afterschool having stronger interrelationships with principals and school teachers successfully improved homework completion by the students, efforts put on homework, active conducts as well as initiatives. This might be because active partnerships with schools might strengthen high quality of education being given to the students, challenging acts, engagement of students together with staff engagement promotions (Martin et al., 2013). Besides backing the learning of students directly, the partnership might possess other advantages for the families and students. To begin with, the partnership gives service continuity daily and yearly. This is facilitating school transitions alongside promoting enhanced turnouts in after program of schools. The partnership promotes accessibility towards a various range of learning chances and supports for development, giving opportunities in support of teachers and students together to experiment fresh approaches for learning and teaching. It similarly enhances sharing of information concerning particular students to excellently back individual education. Also, the partnership is providing families with various alternatives of the entry points into different schools as well as supporting the learning centers for the students (Mitra, 2014).
On the other hand, the educational partnership might similarly benefit schools in one way or the other. The partnership matches academic curriculum having a wider range of services as well as activities especially enhancement and art practices which might never be accessible in the period of school days. According to González and Jackson (2013), educational partnership backs transitions through school years especially the critical middle towards the transition to high school are some of the significant predictors for a high school graduations. The partnership is similarly meant to reinforce concepts which are taught in schools exclusive of replicating the days of schools as well as regularly exposing class teachers who are working within the programs of after school towards the new pedagogies. González and Jackson (2013) note that partnership in learning improves school culture as well as community image via exhibitions together with performances which assist in ‘shining the lights’ on scholars whose aptitudes might never be apparent within the classroom. Besides, the learning partnership also gains accessibility to mentors afterschool staff together with other resources that would assist when it comes to in-school studies alongside improving learning and teaching within classrooms. Lastly, partnerships in education with schools might strengthen alongside supporting community partners. The associations might assist in gaining access various student groups who are in dire need of different support services. It similarly enhances quality programs and staff engagement, especially wherever there is a crossover that is eminent between the community and school organizational team. The partnership would similarly be fostering excellent alignment programs in supporting a shared vision meant for learning as well as maximizing used resources like curriculum, data, staff and facilities.
Characteristics of efficient school-community partnerships
According to Martin et al. (2013), there is arising accord on an inter-related set of features which assist in promoting and sustaining the partnership between the school and communities. Mitra (2014) says that effective school-community associations have a shared vision in support of learning as well as developmental results for the scholars. Such visions are acknowledging critical, corresponding school roles, families and community partners. The shared vision similarly assists partners in avoiding employees working in opposition to one another and place pursues a common vision meant for the success of students. If the leaders in school emulate an idea meant to the success of students which ruminates scholar’s emotional, physical and academic results, then such partnership is more possibly going to be successful as compared to whenever competing agendas are operating in the period of an expanded day for learning.
Mitra (2014) says that a school-community partnership has varied set of associates having effective mechanisms for communications as well as associations amongst several staff members at various levels. Sustainable and robust partnerships require for relationships which are built on different levels. That is, for instance, ate schools, district as well as classroom levels. Operating with associates at various levels assist most of the programs for afterschool and summer to turn out to be principal for the custodians. Besides, partnerships at different levels might assist in mitigating staff turnover effects in different levels. For instance, healthy relationships with teachers might assist in sustaining partnership during the time of changing principals.
Furthermore, Epstein (2013) says that school-community based partnerships are deliberately blended staffing having a clarity role towards promoting comprehension on ways in which work is pertinent for everyone member of the society. For summer and afterschool programs, this shows that recruiting staff who have legality in school structure as well as skilled at constructing associations with the members of the school teams.
The other characteristic of robust partnership certainly is the capability of partners accessing information as well as data which has been attained from one another. The summer and afterschool programs might employ these data in tracking as well as strengthening the performance of students (Cheng, Kruger & Daniels, 2003). Besides, this would likely to validate the impacts of various services that are offered during the partnership. Besides attaining data from different schools, most of the programs shall provide their personal data to schools to promote mutual sharing of data by every partner.
As the attempts of expanding opportunities for education continue to enlarge in various models and approaches, it is essential that every effort should build a sound base meant for operational partnership, which is by this time present amongst schools and summer as well as afterschool programs (Gibney, Copeland & Murie, 2009).
Building partnerships between schools-communities
Bringing communities and schools together is something which is never easy. This often mirrors the environments in schools which have got it difficult in engaging the families of students. Most of the public institutions have progressively distant themselves from various families they are serving. This is leaving learning systems to be secluded thus unable to communicate with the parents and students effectively. Besides, while students from these schools might be progressively diverse within their class, race, as well as ethnicity, most of the teacher’s administrators and educators, are whites who are coming from middle-class backgrounds. They are for that matter having insufficient cultural acquaintance concerning the students together with their families. Such conditions might regularly lead to schools having parent’s participations on issues of schools might be low. Otherwise, there are different power associations between school staff and parents which are leaving the most of the families to feel that they are unwelcomed or rather uninvited towards participating in the education of their children. On the other hand, most of the disconnected communities and schools might regularly have access towards community organizations (Gibney, Copeland & Murie, 2009). This has built associations and social acquaintance of local communities together with their members of families. According to Lewallen et al. (2015), there are three partnership methods for the school-community commitment. These incorporate community development, services as well as a community organization. The typologies often assist schools towards building and sustaining affiliations with the families of students. In some instances, the typologies are changing the parent engagement culture in most of the schools. Appropriate association between the schools and communities assist in ensuring that students benefit from their learning and school activities. This can similarly assist in the efficient implementation of all programs for the school. Comparatively, appropriate associations between the community and schools help in ensuring that teachers in schools get their work accessible in place of having hard times with the communities. Parents are likely to be incorporated, thus ensuring that they are taking part in implementing the policies of school whenever possible (Edge & McAllister, 2009). For that matter, it is essential for the learning institutions to ensure there are relevant associations between the school and communities, which are surrounding such facilities.
According to Saxena (2005) , in several communities, a relationship which is among schools and other organizations in a community assist in creating supports which make youths and children to succeed and learn in supporting communities and families to thrive. Such partnerships are bringing together various groups and people, incorporating teachers, school boards, school superintendents among others towards expanding opportunities for their kids, families as well as partnering societies (Coburn, Penuel & Geil, 2013). Developing a unique school-community partnership at times is multifaceted, challenging as well as time time-consuming chore. To be operative, partnerships ought to take part in a thoughtful process through defining visions as well as clear objectives of the associations. Partnerships should have effective management and governance structures towards ensuring that programs are operating efficiently. The partnership between schools and communities is responsive towards every need of the community. The partnerships similarly need to draw from various aspects of perspectives as well as expertise in schools. Also, the school-community partnerships should connect, synchronize as well as leverage various resources from different sources towards supporting and continuing with the roles that are designated towards assisting the success of the partnership. Appropriate measures should be put in place to make sure that there is an apt partnership between the communities and schools. Through the partnership, students are likely to benefit from through ensuring that they attain good grades during their studies.
Family-School Partnerships
The connections between the family and school certainly are the associations and activities that are involving parents, school staff together with other members of the family of students to the activities that are taking place in school. Effectual partnerships are anchored on mutual respect and trust. The partnership similarly entails shared responsibilities in support of the education of young people and children in various learning institutions. Families are viewed to be the initial educators to their children. Besides, families continue towards influencing the learning and development of their children in their period of their education and times afterward. Schools have essential responsibilities in assisting to nurture alongside teaching future families and generations. Simultaneously, schools are required to recognize the primary role education in a family. This is the major motive as to why schools and parents have an obligation to work jointly in partnership. Mitra (2014) demonstrates that progressive learning institutions are having higher levels community and parental involvement. Such participation is robustly associated with improving student’s learning, behaviors as well as their class attendance. Family involvement might bear essential effects on the learning a student irrespective of the cultural or rather social background of the learners’ family. For that matter, family involvement within schools is significant in ensuring that institutions have a higher quality of education. This is the major way in which students will benefit from such partnerships. According to Lewallen et al. (2015), the principal objective of the framework for the family-school partnerships is to promote efficient and sustainable partnership between every member of the school community, incorporating students, teachers together with the families. Such partnerships should give maximum respects to the needs of students as well as their preferences. The partnerships should be viewing every partner to be made equal contributions that are valuable whereas recognizing various contributions every partner brings. The partnership should similarly address involvement barriers which might occur within schools by members of families. Then lastly, the partnerships should develop excellent opportunities, programs as well as learning for students (Deakin & Allwinkle, 2007).
Developing strategies for family-school associations might never often an easy task to execute. It needs time and commitment. Owing to circumstances and pressures, several families shall require special arrangements or rather extra support to make them participate in the school lives of their children. This will similarly assist children in getting most from their learning activities. The outcome of such attempt shall be essential. Families which comprehend educational systems, as well as various difficulties in most of schools, are more likely support in areas where schools might never afford. Schools which are taking part in the learning of their children are tapping towards a richer source of information, which eventually shall assist their communities to grow in various ways as far as professionalism is concerned.
Most of the schools differ significantly when it comes to their pledge on partnerships involving families and school. Therefore, skills and energy are applied in making the partnership a success. The movement toward family-school association needs necessary change within attitudes by most of the families and schools. This is certainly meant to develop relationships in which they view one another to be supportive of various educational policies introduced in a country. The partnerships for that matter should be supported by broader strategies and principles though should remain exclusive to the context of a school, which is incorporating family-community features, needs of students as well as schooling levels.
Significance of Teacher/Parent Partnerships
The importance of an excellent parent-teacher association is greatly beyond a vehicle meant for reports as of teachers towards parents concerning the behavior or rather performance of their children. It is genuinely an association which is giving a flow of two -way information coming from the teacher towards the parents concerning classroom achievements and of their children. It is giving a mechanism meant for a teacher to support and invite the participation of parent in the education of children within their home surrounding. Besides, it is providing a conduit for educational activities and home activities that are related to learning. By and large, parents or rather caregivers possess an excellent immediate acquaintance concerning a child. Certainly, it is in the best interest of children in taking comprehensive benefits of information like the assistance of comprehending as well as evaluating a child. Knowing the ways in which children are behaving at home together with various when they are away from school surroundings might assist teachers towards making well-balanced evaluations meant for students. This is especially significant whenever a present kid conditions or rather behaviors which might be indicating special needs. Parent’s communication with the teachers is essential. Teachers are supposed to be adequately prepared towards working with caregivers diversities (Roussos & Fawcett, 2000). However, communication with the prime caregivers is usually a complex idea. The lives are influenced swiftly, and children are frequently caught trapped in between the middle. Even though children typically resilient as well as being capable of rolling with various punches, teachers and parents are supposed to take different measure in ensuring that they are safeguarded from harm. Within the setting an early childhood, parents are usually essential in keeping the daily progress of their children during studies. This similarly assists parents in ensuring that children get appropriate skills in their life.
Teachers are supposed to acknowledge and respect the role of parents as prime educators alongside being role models for their children. When the teachers are hugely encouraging parents to execute their roles appropriately, then students are likely to benefit from every teaching they are getting from their teachers. Within such atmosphere, teachers might provide suggestions meant for carrying various concepts learned from classrooms to their homes. In this manner, whatever has been taught in classes by the students would be having impacts on their parents (Roussos & Fawcett, 2000). It is also incumbent for the teachers to inaugurate a home –Classroom Bridge or rather a link. In this case, teachers have the capability of proposing various books to be read by students when they are at homes or rather during holidays. Also, teachers can send to their students weekly or rather monthly newsletters to assist in bridging the association between school and home. Such activities are providing a bridge which is there between classroom and home since most of the children is not elaborating for their parents or caregivers whatever is taking place in school (Slater, 2014). It, therefore, the role of a teacher to fill in such blanks for their guardians or parents.
Role of leadership and team
The model for any school improvement hinges on partnership amongst key individuals within the school and community. Such partnership commences with new, enhanced associations amongst other key institutions and people. These incorporate various leaders drawn from different organizations; faith-based institutions as well as businesses. Powers (2004) says that schools are no longer endowed with the responsibilities of their academic success as well as the development of youths within the society. Such duties are left in the hands of every community stakeholders but never the educators alone.
The principal motive is that groups and individuals coming from various societies are typically aware that they rely on the success of their children academically in schools. Therefore, most of the educators have learned on how to depend on various outside groups and individuals within the society. In other words, every person taking part in any partnership is aware of ensuring that students improve in their academic achievements (Barnhardt, 2005). Partnership certainly is a form of multifaceted relationship (Powers, 2004). It needs several resources as well as taking the time to be developed. In partnership, people are supposed to communicate, network as well as corporate. They are required to share various information, harmonize activities and operations, sharing of resources alongside promoting the capacity of every partner. First and foremost, the entities that are participating should know that they are inter-reliant. Therefore, they should learn that their mission can never be attained exclusive of the contribution from others people. For efficient operations of such teams, there should be appropriate leadership in ensuring that a clear direction is given to the team.
Leadership structure and styles promote partnership between schools and communities. A good leadership style disseminates authority, power as well as responsibility across the team. According to Roussos and Fawcett (2000), leadership strengthen shared commitments, assist in resolving conflicts, promotes lasting association as well as stimulating effective actions to be taken within an organization. Appropriate partnerships similarly require effective leadership, governance, and management structures. The structure in a collaborative leadership entails the team approaches in place of an approach of a single person. The members of a team normally collaborate, and such institutions usually build up a robust partnership for new methods of carrying out leadership responsibilities.
Typically, the administration provides ways of solving various problems as well as taking advantages of opportunities which have never been tapped. A good leadership within every learning institutions marshal collective knowledge, giving clarifications to various problems faced by the institutions. The leadership can similarly find amicable approaches of solving various conflicts as well as structuring agreement to act. When there is appropriate leadership in partnership, then appropriate issues would be put in place to make the smooth running of learning institutions. School principals are required to give directions in which a school should follow in ensuring that education institutions are collaborating effectively with the community (Gruenewald, 2005). Community leaders such as chiefs have an obligation to give directions in enforcing various measures that schools need for the smooth running of such institutions. Mostly, leadership strategies are required for proper functioning of a partnership between the schools and communities. Leaders both from schools and communities should work together in ensuring that the partnership becomes a success. When there is no collaboration of leaders from schools and communities, then there would be conflicts, which come as result of different opinions amongst the leaders. Teamwork of leaders similarly makes the partnership between schools and other institutions to be effective. Appropriate collaboration in the schools’ operation leads to the right results being attained by students. This is an added advantage for both parents as their children stand a better chance of benefiting from the partnership between the schools and communities being driven by effective leadership. For that matter, effective partnership requires strong leadership and teamwork to be demonstrated for the success of students (Reddel & Woolcock, 2004). This will similarly enhance the good relationship between the learning institution and the entire society. In a case where inappropriate leadership styles are being portrayed in the communities and schools, then students are likely suffering from consequences of bad leadership which are portrayed.
Building Partnerships in Education
The agreement on school and community partnership is usually a formal commitment anchored on shared responsibilities in support of the education of the children in a particular nation (Blakely, 2001). The partnership is usually negotiated between parents, schools together with the local communities. It is a commitment towards changing the manner in which a school and community work towards a common goal. Even though formal community and school partnership differ as per the context of the associations, there are some standard features which such partnership must contain (Roussos & Fawcett, 2000). These common elements incorporate:
The agreed duties in support of involved parties
Students’ aspirations on their achievements
A preface outlining parties to community and school collaborations
The partnership should be developed on trusts. Communities and schools should trust one another for the appropriate performance of students. This will be beneficial to the communities as there would be good citizens nurtured to join every aspect of the society with an acquaintance that would assist in growth and development of society. Effective leadership is similarly required appropriate command structure in building the partnership. Leadership is needed to bring in a direction to be followed by various parties that are taking part in the collaboration. When there is a good leadership structure, then there would be a sufficient association between the schools and communities. This would lead to good cooperation thus students’ benefits. The leaders in partnership ought to have times in which they are celebrating the success of the partnership. That is to say; the leaders should enable school and community to be together when celebrating success which has been brought by the partnership (Cheng & Mattor, 2010). Through bringing the schools and communities together during such celebrations, a mutual partnership is built towards enhancing the success of students in their academic endeavors.
Recommendations
Place-based education is encouraging educators towards considering curriculum to be used by the student in schools (Bang, Medin, Washinawatok & Chapman, 2010). Teachers should look into various techniques of ensuring that the partnership between a school and community succeed. This will guarantee that students are benefiting from various schemes placed to enable the satisfaction of students.
Place-based education entails a mixture of sustainability education, environmental education service learning and experiential learning. For that matter, educators should ensure that there is an appropriate collaboration between the learning institution and community to enable the students to learn about environmental aspects. Appropriate leadership should be shown from both community and institution leaders. This would make the success of place-based education to be successful. Trust should be put forward in ensuring that community and school partnership becomes a success. Trust makes the both communities and schools to be in good collaboration lacking mistrusts. This is likely to ensure good partnership is enhanced. Finally, the government ought to regularly assess its control role on the networking like a policy in the process of education (Squire & Jan, 2007). This is owing to the fact education process has been complex alongside continuously transforming irrespective of various developments, which has taken place in education sectors.
Conclusion
The partnership between schools and communities is effective in ensuring that students attain maximally in their academic endeavors. This is a literature review on developing a strategic partnership in place-based educations. The paper has delved on the partnership between schools and communities. Such partnerships serve to reinforce, back, and even transform individual partners. This may lead to improved quality programs, efficient use of educational resources, as well as the excellent alignment of objectives and syllabuses. Leadership and trust are some of the pinnacles identified as an appropriate measure for the development of effective strategies for partnership. Good leadership is needed for the effective collaboration in education. This makes the students reap from real leadership portrayed by the leaders both in communities and schools. For that matter building, effective partnership between communities and schools require appropriate measures trust and necessary leadership to give direction on what is supposed to be done. Before moving to the whole community, there should be a proper association between family members and schools to where their students are learning. This is likely to assist in ensuring that the partnership is successful.
