Pathways to Community Engagement in Education: Collaboration in Diverse, Urban Neighbourhoods

ISBN-13: 9783031330001 / Angielski

Catherine M. Hands

Opis

This book takes a comprehensive look at community engagement strategies in education to demonstrate the diverse nature of school-community relations and their value to promote their effective development. The author brings twenty years of experience in various educational settings in Ontario and California to examining community involvement policies and their interpretation, as well as school-community collaboration in practice. Chapters include recent research on school-community collaboration from the perspective of teachers, school district leaders, administrators, and support staff within two school districts in a low-income and culturally diverse urban community. The book also includes perspectives from community members involved in organizations across the city with a mandate to work with youth. In a time where students' academic, social, and emotional support needs are on the rise, this book offers a valuable resource for strengthening school-community relations and demonstrating the power of collaboration.

Spis treści

CONTENTS

1.       Chapter 1         Introduction to Pathways to Community Engagement in Education: School-Community Collaboration in Diverse, Urban Neighbourhoods …………………………….……

A History of Community Involvement in Schooling ……………………………………………..

The Roles of Those Not “Profiting From Instruction”: Community Members’ Historical Involvement in Schooling …………………………………………………………………

            Citizens Cast As “School Disturbers” …………………………………………………….

Contemporary Relations between Schools and Communities …………………………………….

            A Snapshot of Collaboration: What, Who, and How ……………………………………..

Methods …………………………………………………………………………………………..

            Data Sources ……………………………………………………………………………..

            The City of Stirling ……………………………………………………………………..

            A Sketch of the Schools in the Study …………………………………………………….

Concluding Thoughts and an Overview of the Book ………………………………………………

 

2.       Chapter 2         Interpreting the Map and Navigating to Destinations: Using School-Community Policy to Influence Practice ……………………………………………………………

Map Makers and Map Readers ………………………………………………………..

            The Policy Mediator …………………………………………………………..

            The Policy Critic ………………………………………………………………

            The Policy Constructor ……………………………………………………….

Mediators, Critics, and Constructors in the Stirling School Districts ………………….

            Policy Mediators ……………………………………………………………….

Policy Critics and Constructors …………………………………………………………

Responding to Policy Flexibility: Shaping Practices with More Policy at the District Level ………………………………………………………………………………

Principals as Critics and Constructors: Circumventing Existing Policy and Creating

New Policy at the School Level ……………………………………………………..

Principals as Critics: Ignoring Policy ……………………………………………….

            Policy Interpretation: Summary and Recommendations ……………………………………..

                        Considerations for Collaboration …………………………………………………….

            Concluding Thoughts  …………………………………………………………………………

 

3.       Chapter 3         Sustainable Partnerships: The Ecology of Community Engagement Initiatives …

The Ecology of Collaboration ……………………………………………………………………..

            The Lifecycle of the School-Community Collaborative Process …………………………

Collaboration: Meeting Needs Together

            Stage 1: Identifying Student, School, and Community Partner Needs and Goals ………

            Stages 2 and 3: Identifying and Contacting Potential Collaborators …………………….

            Stage 4: Negotiating Partnership Terms ………………………………………………….

Stage 5: Creating a Win-Win Situation ……………………………………………………

Stages 6 and 7: Engaging in Collaborative Activities and Assessing Collaborative Practices ……………………………………………………………………………………

            A Collaborative Process: Summary and Recommendations ……………………………………….

                        Considerations for Collaboration …………………………………………………………..

            Concluding Thoughts ……………………………………………………………………………….

 

4.       Chapter 4         The Social Contexts and Permeable Borders That Influence Partnerships ………

Intertwined Open Systems: A Depiction of School-Community Interaction …………..

School and Community on the Path to Collaboration …………………………………….

            Stirling: A Community in Transition ………………………………………………

Community Context Determines Schools’ Visions and Priorities for Community Partnerships ………………………………………………………………………..

School Personnel’s Inclination Toward Partnering Impacted Permeability ……….

                        Exchanges of Human and Material Resources Across Permeable Borders …………

            Social Context and Permeable Borders: Summary and Recommendations …………………

                        Considerations for Collaboration ……………………………………………………

            Concluding Thoughts …………………………………………………………………………

 

5.       Chapter 5         Networks: The Importance of Who and What You Know …………………..

Networks and Social Capital: Linking Schools and Communities …………………………..

            Building Social Capital by Cultivating Interpersonal Relationships ………………..

Building and Maintaining a Network …………………………………………………………

            The Importance of a Social Network …………………………………………………

            Different Types of Networks and Their Impact ………………………………………

            Challenges to Networks and the Consequences of Not Having One …………………..

            How to Build a Network ………………………………………………………………

Networks: Summary and Recommendations …………………………………………………..

            Personal Connections Are the Glue Holding the Network Together …………………..

            Considerations for Collaboration ………………………………………………………

Concluding Thoughts ……………………………………………………………………………

 

6.       Chapter 6         Building Bridges and Crossing Boundaries ……………………………………

Social Networks and Boundary Spanners ……………………………………………………….

Boundary-Spanners Create Bridges to Resources ……………………………………………….

            School-Level Bridges …………………………………………………………………

            Board-Level Liaisons for School Personnel and Community Members ……………….

            Community Members with Mandates to Liaise ………………………………………..

            The Importance of a School-Community Liaison ………………………………………

            Boundary-Spanning Capacity …………………………………………………………..

Bridges and Boundary-Spanners: Summary and Recommendations ……………………………

            Considerations for Collaboration ……………………………………………………….

Concluding Thoughts …………………………………………………………………………….

 

7.       Chapter 7         Facilitating or Frustrating Efforts to Collaborate

Social Contexts that Facilitate or Frustrate Collaborative Efforts

            Structure

            Culture

            Behaviour

Social Contexts’ Characteristics Facilitated or Impeded Collaboration

            Structural Features Impact Relationship Development and Maintenance

                        Organizational Cultures Shape Collaborative Opportunities

                        Individuals’ Mindsets and Behaviours Affect Collaboration

            Collaboration Enablers and Challenges: Summary and Recommendations

                        Considerations for Collaboration

            Concluding Thoughts

                       

8.       Chapter 8         Collaboration to Support Vulnerable Populations ……………………………….

Collaboration as a Gateway to Social Capital …………………………………………………….

An Overview of Diverse Students’ Needs in Stirling ……………………………………………..

            Students Living in Poverty ………………………………………………………………..

            Newcomers to the Country ……………………………………………………………….

Indigenous Children and Youth …………………………………………………………..

2SLGBTQIA+ Students …………………………………………………………………..

Students with Developmental Delays, Mental Health Challenges, and Behavioural Issues.

            Accessing Social Capital for Vulnerable Groups through School-Community Partnerships ……..

                        Schools As Intermediaries …………………………………………………………………

                        District-Level Support for Community Engagement ………………………………………

                        Community Organizations Provide Care, Opportunities, and Insight ……………………..

Preparing to Transition into the Community: The Roles of School- and Community-based Programs Supporting Vulnerable Populations …………………………………………….

            Vulnerable Populations: Summary and Recommendations ………………………………………..

                        Instrumental and Expressive Resources Available Through Community Engagement …..

                        Considerations for Collaboration …………………………………………………………

            Concluding Thoughts …………………………………………………………………………….. 

 

9.       Chapter 9         Thriving and Not Just Surviving: Support for Mental Health in a Networked Community ………………………………………………………………………………………..

Social Networks Promote Wellbeing ……………………………………………………………..

Mental Health Issues and Their Prevalence in Schools …………………………………………..

            The Expanding Role of Schools and the Growing Need to Collaborate …………………

            A Solution: Grass-roots Network Creation ……………………………………………….

            Challenges to Networks: More Work to Be Done ………………………………………..

A Networked Approach to Child and Youth Mental Health: Summary and Recommendations ….

            Considerations for Collaboration ………………………………………………………….

Concluding Thoughts ………………………………………………………………………………

 

10.   Chapter 10       Creating Schools as Community Hubs Through Collaboration …………………

A School-Community Relations Continuum ……………………………………………………..

            Type A: Family and Interagency Collaboration …………………………………………

            Type B: Full-Service Schools ……………………………………………………………

            Type C: Full-Service Community Schools ………………………………………………

            Type D: Community Development ………………………………………………………

Readiness for Greater Integration of School and Community Services …………………………..

            A “One-Stop- Shop” Encouraged Service Uptake ……………………………………….

            Planning a Path Toward Wrap-Around and Full-Service Community Schools ………….

            Recommendations to Support Schools as Community Hubs …………………………….

Future Research ……………………………………………………………………………………

Concluding Thoughts ……………………………………………………………………………… 

O autorze

Catherine M. Hands is Professor of Education Administration and Leadership at Brock University, Canada. She has worked with Canadian and American school districts, teachers' unions, and the Ontario Ministry of Education as a researcher and consultant. Her research interests include school-community relations, family involvement in schooling, educational leadership, values and ethics in education, social justice, professional learning communities, and education reform. 

Blurb

“Catherine Hands reports her study of educators and community partners in schools serving students and families with low incomes. She adds historic, geographic, scientific, and folkloric stories to deepen our understanding of the complex processes in establishing strong partnerships that will increase all students’ learning, health, and well-being. Then—going further—she sets a bigger and broader agenda on school, family, and community partnerships for all of us to consider. Across chapters, the book grows in importance.”
—Joyce L. Epstein, Professor of Education and Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships, Johns Hopkins University, USA

“Dr. Hands' book makes a unique contribution to the field by highlighting the voices of diverse community stakeholders as they engage with the education sector. Hands' timely text offers insights into the challenges and possibilities inherent in collaborative relationships as participants navigate increasingly complex political landscapes.”
—Michael Evans, Associate Professor of Family, School, and Community Connections, Miami University, USA

This book takes a comprehensive look at community engagement strategies in education to demonstrate the diverse nature of school-community relations and their value to promote their effective development. The author brings twenty years of experience in various educational settings in Ontario and California to examining community involvement policies and their interpretation, as well as school-community collaboration in practice. Chapters include recent research on school-community collaboration from the perspective of teachers, school district leaders, administrators, and support staff within two school districts in a low-income and culturally diverse urban community. The book also includes perspectives from community members involved in organizations across the city with a mandate to work with youth. In a time where students’ academic, social, and emotional support needs are on the rise, this book offers a valuable resource for strengthening school-community relations and demonstrating the power of collaboration.

Catherine M. Hands is Associate Professor of Education and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Education at Brock University, Canada.