Commemorating the first 10 years of publication of the School Community Journal, this book presents a collection of articles from those 10 years and reflects its diverse contents. The articles are: (1) "The Community of the School" (Sam Redding); (2) "How My Immigrant Experience Shaped My Work with Families and Schools" (Dorothy Rich); (3) "The Politics of Virtue: A New Compact for Leadership in Schools" (Thomas J. Sergiovanni); (4) "The Impact of Race on School Change Teams" (Alison A. Carr-Chellman); (5) "In Search of the Elusive Magic Bullet: Parental Involvement and Student Outcomes" (Kim O. Yap and Donald Y. Enoki); (6) "Childhood: Our Children's Voices" (Frances K. Kochan); (7) "Our 'Changing' Town, Our 'Changing' School: Is Common Ground about 'Good' Classroom Practices Possible?" (Jean L. Konzal); (8) "Recommendations for Research on the Effectiveness of School, Family, and Community Partnerships" (Nancy Feyl Chavkin); (9) "Building a Learning Community through Teacher Action Research: Honoring Teacher Wisdom in Three Chicago Public Schools" (Norman Weston); (10) "Proactive Thoughts on Creating Safe Schools" (Constance M. Perry); (11) "Community-Based Education" (Christine J. Villani and Douglas Atkins); (12) "Improving Parent Involvement Programs and Practice: A Qualitative Study of Parent Perceptions" (Amy J. L. Baker); (13) "Improving Parent Involvement Programs and Practice: A Qualitative Study of Teacher Perceptions" (Amy J. L. Baker); (14) "The Peabody Family Involvement Initiative: Preparing Preservice Teachers for Family/School Collaboration" (Laurie Katz and Jerold P. Bauch); (15) "Parents' Educational Beliefs: Implications for Parent Participation in School Reforms" (Lee Shumow); (16) "Parent Involvement: The Key to Improved Student Achievement" (Steven R. Hara and Daniel J. Burke); (17) "Family-School Partnerships in Prekindergarten At-Risk Programs: An Exploratory Study" (Brent A. McBride, Ji-Hi Bae, and Thomas R. Range); (18) "Parent Involvement in American Public Schools: A Historic Perspective 1642-2000" (Diana Hiatt-Michael); (19) "Relationship, The Fourth 'R': The Development of a Classroom Community" (Nancy Meltzoff); (20) "Minimal Parental Involvement" (David J. Dwyer and Jeffrey B. Hecht); (21) "Family Programs for Academic Learning" (Herbert J. Walberg and Trudy Wallace); (22) "Connecting Families and Schools through Mediating Structures" (Vivian R. Johnson); (23) "Creating a Community of Readers" (Paul J. Baker and R. Kay Moss); and (24) "Someone's Most Precious Darling: Building the Home-School Connection in Preservice Teacher Education Programs" (Brenda Power and Constance M. Perry). All but one article contain references. (KB)

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.

YOUR CHURCH, MINISTRY, OR ORGANIZATION CAN BECOME A FORCE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE. LEARN HOW AND START NOW! Pastors, other leaders, and people in every community yearn to bring change. To influence people and systems for good. To work for morally rooted social change. What is the best way to do this work? Together. Collaborative efforts between churches, schools, and other organizations are critically important for our future. Lia McIntosh makes the case for this claim and instructs leaders who are ready to start, as she lays out a principle-based framework built on the seven virtues (or principles) of Kwanzaa. Each chapter includes a summary of key points, plus a list of questions and suggestions for discussion, further inquiry, or action. The book closes with a full list of practical suggestions and instructions for putting the principles into action immediately. It is designed for leaders and teams to read and work through together, resulting in plans and action. The book is also filled with stories revealing the depth of need and the extraordinary results of positive change. It is inspiring, motivating, and instructive. Church/School/Community promises to help us move forward: - A historical review of the intersections of Faith and education, reminding us how the church has always been on the forefront of education. - An explanation of the Opportunity we have to change a student’s life, especially before the 3rd grade. - A challenge to Rethink the church’s role in education, moving from mercy to justice to advocacy. - Exploring the question, What can we do? And learning the practices that are essential for this work. - A challenge for faith communities to practice Advocacy, placing students at the center, and reviving the church. - A warning for us to Resist the urge to turn inward, reminding us that life is found by giving ourselves away. - Renewing our commitment as Americans to Democracy. Modeling it for students so they understand the power of their voices, their capacity to develop skills, and their responsibility to shape the future. Actionable and transformational. This book is a valuable tool for people and organizations who want to create an “ubuntu” way of looking at the world. Through healthy community, school and church partnerships, McIntosh offers a practical guide for leaders to discern the community’s assets and needs and bring good into the world. A must-have resource. --Kim Jenne, director of connectional ministries, Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church We are at our best when we partner with others for the sake of self, neighbor and community. We should have no expectation of meaningful change or transformation apart from profound partnering. McIntosh rehearses and re-envisions the power of church, school and community linking arms, where each helps the other become a better version of itself, and where the whole is more than the sum of the parts. --Gregory V. Palmer, bishop of the West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church This is a book worth reading! The Missouri Annual Conference has emphasized church/school partnerships and this book is a helpful, practical guide to our work. It paints a picture of fruitful and vital ministry. --Bob Farr, bishop of the Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church Lia McIntosh shows up as a coach, encourager and cultural connector in every moment of her life, including this book. Churches are looking to create significant partnerships with their local communities, and schools are frequent partners. This book provides a framework for thinking through these connections, plus action steps to take. I'll be recommending this wonderful piece to every church leader I know! --Derrek Belase, director of connectional ministry, Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church Concepts and words are often misleading specially in a period when individualism is on the rise, and an abiding sense of togetherness is slipping away from the human family, Rev. Lia McIntosh calls 21st century readers to rethink about the centrality of community and formation of human connections through church, Academic circles and Ecclesial movements. This is a timely and much needed people – oriented piece of literature whose horizon is three –fold, faith – as – a portal for community formation, learning and instruction as an opportunity for community formation, and national and Global engagements as localities of community formation. This book is both a gift and legacy giving to all whose eyes will read the pages of this well – thought out work. --Israel Kamudzandu, associate professor and Lindsey Pherigo Chair, Saint Paul School of Theology, Leawood, KS Church/School/Community is a timely and much-needed resource. It is a must read for those who are committed to being World Changers in this heightened state of racial injustice, political division, and denominational uncertainty. McIntosh creatively utilizes the Kwanzaa principles as a plan and blueprint to strengthen churches and transform communities. As the National Director of SBC21 I highly recommend reading this critical book that can forge vital partnerships between church, school and community. --Michael L. Bowie, Jr., national executive director, Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century, The United Methodist Church

This current era of high stakes testing, accountability, and shrinking educational budgets demands that schools seek bold and innovative ways to build strong learning environments for all students. Community involvement is a powerful tool in generating resources that are essential for educational excellence. Building School-Community Partnerships: Collaboration for Student Success emphasizes the importance of community involvement for effective school functioning, student support and well-being, and community health and development. This sharp, insightful book serves as an excellent resource for educators seeking to establish school-community partnerships to achieve goals for their schools and the students, families, and communities they serve. Schools can collaborate with a wide variety of community partners to obtain the resources they need to achieve important goals for students’ learning. Some of these partners may include: - Businesses and corporations - Universities and other institutions of higher learning - National and local volunteer organizations - Social service agencies and health partners - Faith-based organizations and institutions Work successfully with community partners to improve school programs and curricula, strengthen families, and expand your students’ learning experiences!

Place- and community-based education – an approach to teaching and learning that starts with the local – addresses two critical gaps in the experience of many children now growing up in the United States: contact with the natural world and contact with community. It offers a way to extend young people’s attention beyond the classroom to the world as it actually is, and to engage them in the process of devising solutions to the social and environmental problems they will confront as adults. This approach can increase students’ engagement with learning and enhance their academic achievement. Envisioned as a primer and guide for educators and members of the public interested in incorporating the local into schools in their own communities, this book explains the purpose and nature of place- and community-based education and provides multiple examples of its practice. The detailed descriptions of learning experiences set both within and beyond the classroom will help readers begin the process of advocating for or incorporating local content and experiences into their schools.

Accessible and practical, School-Community Relations, Fourth Edition uses real-life examples to illustrate the ways in which administrators and school leaders can effectively engage and enlist partnerships with teachers, staff, students, parents, and community members. Case studies at the end of each chapter apply the strategies to realistic scenarios, and Questions for Analysis help readers engage critically with the material. This textbook provides aspiring educational leaders with the skills to establish strong systems for communicating with their various school constituencies and to improve public relations at all levels. Features of this newly revised edition include: Try This At Your School sections that offer insights into the ways in which actual educational leaders have fostered positive school-community relations. Updated information about public opinion, how parents view their local schools, and the current education climate. New strategies for utilizing social media to improve school-community relations and foster a positive school image.

This exciting book takes readers on a tour of a busy school community. Colorful photographs feature children on their way to school, in their classrooms, and following school rules. Young readers will also learn about the jobs of teachers, librarians, and principals. An important and very relevant section teaches children how to stay healthy inside their school communities.