It is evident that schools and communities should work closely with each other to meet their mutual goals. The community and the school are two important social institutions. Both community and school have linkage as the school cannot be seen as an independent institution that is isolated from the society in which it is located. Why are school and community linkages important?

Linkages between these two institutions are a proven and effective way for schools to expand what they can offer to children and provide more meaningful learning experiences making a real difference in the lives of children, families, and communities. School and community connections enable families to move from setting to setting with ease. School and community linkages engage parents to improve children’s educational outcomes. Standard parent involvement practices such as monitoring children’s homework, reading to them, and volunteering in schools are linked to students’ positive academic and behavior. There are a variety of activities in which schools can become involved to build/improve school-community partnerships. Schools need the support of their local community to achieve their goals.  Effective school—community partnerships are built on open dialogue and communication. Communication between the school and the community is critical to a successful relationship, as in the case in any relationship. In today’s highly technological world, communication should be relatively easy to facilitate but is sometimes neglected. The better the relationship and engagement, the more positive the impact on students’ learning.

What schools or community can’t do alone, they can often do together. As what the proverbs goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Partnerships allow the whole village to help educate our children.

Published and Owned by: Gypsy A. Fernandez