Education is increasingly viewed as a shared responsibility of educators, families, and communities.\u00a0Schools, parents, and the community should work together to promote the health, well-being, and\u00a0learning of all students. When school involve parents and engage community resources, they are able\u00a0to respond more effectively to the needs of students.<\/p>\n
Family and community involvements foster\u00a0partnerships among schools, family, and community groups and individuals. These partnerships\u00a0result in sharing and maximizing of resources, as well as a strong belief that all families, regardless\u00a0of level of education, socio-economic status, and race or ethnicity can contribute to all student\u00a0learning and development. When schools communicate well and often, parents and communities\u00a0are not only informed but feel like they have an active voices in their school community. Additionally,\u00a0they build a culture of inclusivity and eliminate feelings of distrust, uncertainty, and hostility. When educators fail to communicate fully, misinformation, misinterpretations,\u00a0misunderstanding, and mixed messages can cause a system breakdown. But when school leaders communicate effectively, students learn, parents and community members\u00a0understand and support what the school is doing, and the process of teaching and learning moves\u00a0forward.<\/p>\n
Jimmy was in 8th grade when his mother, after using heroin for several years,\u00a0had recently and unexpectedly left Jimmy and his father and moved 200\u00a0miles away. Despite her addiction, she had been the primary school contact\u00a0and was inconsistently present at Jimmy\u2019s school events. The school social\u00a0worker attempted to reach out to Jimmy\u2019s father, Mr. Cunningham, on a few\u00a0occasions following the mother leaving. After a few months, Mr. Cunningham\u00a0finally called back. He agreed to come in to talk to the counselor, but\u00a0always canceled or just didn\u2019t show up. Knowing the importance of parent\u00a0involvement, the social worker didn\u2019t give up. He called Mr. Cunningham\u00a0and was never upset with him for missing the appointments. Instead he\u00a0communicated with Mr. Cunningham in a way that showed understanding\u00a0and compassion. He also talked with him about Jimmy, but didn\u2019t press an\u00a0in-person meeting. He made sure to let him know in what ways Jimmy was\u00a0doing well, and in ways he could use support from him. He indirectly educated\u00a0Mr. Cunningham about the importance of his expectations for his son and how\u00a0his involvement would benefit him. After communicating this way for several\u00a0months, during one of their calls Mr. Cunningham asked if he could come up\u00a0to the school sometime to finally meet in person. The social worker told him\u00a0he would love that and to stop by anytime. Later that week, Mr. Cunningham\u00a0came in when he dropped off Jimmy and brought the social worker a cup of\u00a0coffee. All he said was, “Thanks\u2014you didn\u2019t push me. I just needed some\u00a0time.\u201d<\/p>\n