I have started my research on charter schools. I am expected to examine the relationship between service learning and civic engagement and schools. Basically, the more involved parents and community are, the better students do academically. The involvement has to extend beyond just paying taxes and doing volunteer work in a school, though. The involvement has to be related to curriculum.
That is scary for schools. They like to work in a vaccuum where they know what to teach and how to teach it. Often parent involvement is seen as a liability because so many parents have resorted to litigation or have made passing levies difficult because they speak poorly about the schools in their neighborhoods.
In order to enjoy true partnerships between schools, parents, and the community, we need to have a certain level of trust based on some guiding principles. First, we need to all believe that the other cares about the students' achievement THE MOST...more than report cards, more than ratings, more than teacher unions, more than politics in the workplace. We need to all believe all students can learn and all students deserve our hard work. Schools need policies that help parents navigate the system when their students are not being served well. Parents and schools should be able to have open dialogue and BOTH TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for the students' achievement.
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Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteIn doing your research, have you come across any practices that can be applied to high schools in particular? I work for the school district in Fairbanks, Alaska, and we are in the stage of formulating first steps of establishing community service in high school curriculum. I fully agree with what you said in this post and I am also looking for more practical tips.
By the way, I am also a doctoral student at University of Leicester in UK, with focus on labor market studies. I am finishing my first year, and I agree that it is very exciting to be a student again.