According to Tucker et al. (2011), many modifications have already been done to the school-community partnership that we know today. This, according to them, is attributable to the fact that over time, the school and the community have undergone various changes.
As early as in the 19th century, schools have already had in its operations the involvement of community. However, the involvement is limited to parents and the community. The main goal of the association at that time was to integrate the learners in the community as adult members which signified the school’s belief that the classroom is an extension of the community. During that time also, the community and especially the church had a great impact on the school leadership and the programs that learners undergo. Fagen, Stacks, Hutter, and Syster (2010) observes that the relationship between the school and community began to rapidly change in the beginning of the 20th century. According to Miller and Hafner (2008), this change was mainly due to the fact that school teachers and administrators have become more proficient about knowledge and skills in pedagogy and curriculum. Because of that, they added, the school gradually alienated itself from the community. School supervisors were then revered as experts in pedagogy and curriculum often required to undergo rigid training and formation. However, Miller and Hafner (2008) anticipated a paradigm shift in the future which will then put the value of the community to a higher recognition.
Slater (2014) observes that during the early part of the 20th century, the idea of community education spawned particularly in the low income communities. This observation was brought by the Great Depression presupposes by the stock market crash of 1929. Because of that phenomenon, the school and the community were forced to collaborate in order to address the pressing concerns of students at that time. It is worth stressing that the aim of that collaboration was not merely educational but social as well. Public schools were opened as part of community education which served as a safe place for students to gather. Those public schools had also become avenues for the community to hold educational, social, and recreational activities. Hogue (2012) also has this observation and asserts that when schools are linked to the community, the latter was given the opportunity to actively take part in the activities that have positive influence in their social lives. He added that this same philosophy is harbored by many communities at present.
Epstein (2010) observes that in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the idea of public accountability gained interest because the community become curious and therefore began to inquire about the things that were being taught in school. She added that the public was also eager to take part in the operation of the educational system at that time. This means that the public was not only concerned about obtaining access to improving the students as part of their social causes but be assured also that the results of the academic enterprise would have a positive effect to the public in generations to come. Epstein, Galindo, and Sheldon (2011) considers this a result of a report in 1983, A Nation At Risk, which put the blame on the low quality of education furnish by the public schools to students in America which then in turn has led to a lag of the country behind others. Another report was made public in 1983 entitled Action for Excellence. This was conducted by the Task Force on Education for Economic Growth which encouraged big business firms to collaborate with public schools to increase the quality of education that they offer. It was then viewed that business partnership with public schools will establish a more viable and competitive workforce which will also hone students who are globally competent in terms of global economy. That was the beginning of what is later on termed as “business partnership” in the context of education. It also had a significant impact on the concept of administration and supervision which the educational enterprise adopted later on.
In 2009, the Full Service Community Schools Act was introduced in the congress to serve as an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (United States Congress, 2010). As part of the results of that amendment, the secretary of education will have the privilege to grant school districts with full service community school programs. The act mandates the schools to provide services to students, families, and community organizations as deliberated by linkages between the school and the community. Its chief aim is to bring together all the key stakeholders and as a community provide services by establishing partnerships with public elementary and secondary schools.
By being knowledgeable of the process that school-community partnerships have undergone, teachers and the education field in its entirety would be able to build strong linkages or partnerships with the community to the mutual benefit of the two.
References
Epstein, J. L. (2010). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share.Phi Delta Kappan,92(3), 81-96.
Epstein, J. L., Galindo, C. L., & Sheldon, S. B. (2011). Levels of leadership: Effects of district and school leaders on the quality of school programs of family and community involvement.Educational Administration Quarterly, 0013161X10396929.
Fagen, M. C., Stacks, J. S., Hutter, E., & Syster, L. (2010). Promoting implementation of a school district sexual health education policy through an academic-community partnership.Public health reports,125(2), 352.
Hogue, M. L. (2012).A case study of perspectives on building school and community partnerships. University of South Florida.
Miller, P. M., & Hafner, M. M. (2008). Moving Toward Dialogical Collaboration: A Critical Examination of a University—School—Community Partnership.Educational Administration Quarterly,44(1), 66-110.
Slater, J. J. (2014).Anatomy of a collaboration: Study of a college of education/public school partnership. Routledge.
Tucker, S., Lanningham-Foster, L., Murphy, J., Olsen, G., Orth, K., Voss, J., … & Lohse, C. (2011). A school based community partnership for promoting healthy habits for life.Journal of community health,36(3), 414-422.
By: Ruby Rosa S. Paule
