The art of building and maintaining a mutual relationship with the adjacent community is a major challenge encountered by a new educational leader. A partnership between the school and the community is a significant concept in promoting a better learning environment and functionality of the school at large. The role of a new educational leader in establishing a good relationship between the scholar and the community should understand the community’s needs, interests, and available resources. This is significant in developing a partnership that should benefit both the school and the community.
A school-community partnership is a mutual relationship where both parties benefit. The community needs schools, and the school immensely positively impacts the community. The community has its needs and interests catered for by a school. A school provides education for the children within the community, which is a significant need for the community (Epstein, 2010). The community also benefits from the school when the school creates employment opportunities for the community members. Schools may provide the lack of knowledge to the community by providing shared learning facilities such as libraries that other community members can access.
The community’s interest and need for technology and infrastructure are facilitated by schools, which enables the creation of a good partnership with the community. The community may benefit from other things, such as when the school provides the community with grounds or locations to hold events and forums. A school offers knowledge that is useful in solving some of the problems in the community. Shareholders and investors in the community also benefit significantly from the collaboration of schools and the community (Carrington & Robinson, 2006). The community may need the school’s volunteer activities, such as cleaning the area, visiting the sick and the elderly, and entertainment, such as drama festivals and art. When the school caters to this community’s needs, it enhances its relationship with the community.
Consequently, the community has significant resources for the school to develop a mutual partnership. The community can be very effective to the school by providing a conducive learning environment. The community plays a significant role in reinforcing values and culture to the student. The district may offer the learners role models and help shape them into better people in the future. The community may be very resourceful to the school when they participate in funding the school, and it is a crucial and significant financial support system for a school. Social interaction between the learners and the community is resourceful for giving the learners a sense of interaction and socialization that increases knowledge, value, and ethics (Epstein, 2010). Students can learn a lot of theory in class, but the community offers them a broad-spectrum source of skills.
The community is a significant resource in career development for students. The partnership between the school and the district offers the learners with talents and increased competence, where the learner is exposed to different career options to choose from. School-community interactions, most specifically those that involve relationships with managers, business leaders, and other personnel responsible for workplaces, help equip the learners with preparations for future workplace needs (DiMartino, 2018). The community may offer a source of employment to the learners when they finish school, and some students may get employed when they are still in school. The community may provide the school with resources for recreation where the students visit this place to enjoy the students. The community may offer security to the learners as they study in school or as they go and leave for home from school. It provides a face place for the learners to go after they are out of school and majorly benefits parents who are away for extended periods due to jobs and other reasons.
References
Carrington, S., & Robinson, R. (2006). Inclusive School Community: Why is it so complex? International Journal of Inclusive Education, 10(4-5), 323–334.
Epstein, J. L. (2010). School/Family/Community Partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(3), 81–96.