Chapter 6: The Politics of Community Collaboration

Misconceptions

Vocabulary for Chapter 6

Civic Capacity
Collaborative School-Linked Service Programs
Coordinated Services
Ecological Systems Theory
Social capital

Pre-Reading Questions

As you read, look for specific quotes (page and paragraph numbers) to answer these questions:

What kinds of services besides education can be delivered at schools?
Why are schools likely to be an important community center?

Post-Reading Questions

Use evidence from the text or the reference list to support your answers to these questions:

How can school leaders work with communities to establish access to services that their students require?
What roles do school leaders play in helping families obtain social services, and why would school leaders need to play such a role?

Activities to Extend Learning

Click the following citation http://jel.sagepub.com/content/4/3/21.full.pdf+html to read the case:
Hassenpflug, A. (2001). A touching story. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 4(3), 21–27. doi:10.1177/155545890100400304
Compose a job description of the community principal. How is the job description of a community principal different from the job description of a school principal?

Chapter 6 Misconceptions:

Schools Need to Stick to Academic Education, Nothing Else

Many education policies require schools to deal with a variety of aspects of child development beyond merely reading, writing, and 'rithmetic. When schools have overly focused on academic subjects, a variety of other issues have arisen. Most recently, a large number of schools concerned with achievement on Reading and Mathematics tests, did away with recess to allow for more instructional time. As a result, coupled with other social conditions such as changes in diet and activities outside of school time, obesity and diabetes is on the rise.

Students' academic success depends on a variety of health issues, such as rest and ability to concentrate.

Students' academic success depends on a variety of socio-economic conditions such as access to a variety of cultural experiences that support the vocabulary development necessary for reading and learning.

Students' academic success represents a combination of environmental conditions beyond what happens in classrooms.

Students' needs are larger than mere academic requirements, since many pre-requisites for learning are not matters of how many books and pencils the pupils have at home.

Schools are mirrors of their local communities' social issues. In many places, schools are their neighborhoods' social centers. School and community leaders can take advantage of school locations as a means of ensuring improved health and wellbeing for students and families. Such attention by these leaders requires collaboration and an ability to coordinate services and service delivery.