Improving Schools through Community Engagement: A Practical Guide for Educators

Engage your community and help students achieve their full potential!

Americans see public schools as a critical community resource and rank education as a priority second only to the economy. How can educators harness this public interest in education to bring parents, families, and communities to action for our schools? Improving Schools Through Community Engagement addresses these questions and more in this invaluable source of methods and strategies for educators to initiate action.

Involvement of family and community members has a significant impact on student achievement. This handy resource provides a framework that education leaders can use in designing and implementing initiatives to more effectively engage the public by:

• Framing a clear focus for community engagement
• Identifying and including representatives from each diverse constituency group
• Developing an understanding of the varied perspectives of these groups
• Presenting strategies to encourage constituent involvement and action

A more engaged community results in improved teaching and learning. The energy of parents, teachers, and communities working together starts small and spreads over time. If everyone gets involved, the possibilities for action are limitless!

Kathy Gardner Chadwick, PhD, is the Husby-Johnson Chair of Business and Economics at St. Olaf College. For the past 20 years, she has served as a marketing consultant to a wide variety of organizations. She currently resides in Northfield, Minnesota.