Building School-Community Partnerships

Mavis G. Sanders is assistant professor of education in the School of Professional Studies in Business and Education, research scientist at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR), and senior advisor to the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of many articles on the effects of school, fam-ily, and community support on African American adolescents' school suc-cess, the impact of partnership programs on the quality of family and community involvement, and international research on partnerships. She is interested in how schools involve families that are traditionally hard to reach, how schools meet challenges for implementing excellent programs and practices, and how schools define "community" and develop mean-ingful school-family-community connections. Her most recent book is Schooling Students Placed at Risk: Research, Policy, and Practice in the Education of Poor and Minority Adolescents (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000). She earned her PhD in education from Stanford University.

Foreword by Joyce L. Epstein Preface Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Community Involvement: Why and What? Rationales for Community Involvement in Schools Community Involvement in Schools: Form and Fashion Obstacles to Community Partnerships Summary 2. A Closer Look at Common Community Partnerships Business Partnerships University Partnerships Service Learning Partnerships School-Linked Service Integration Faith-Based Partnerships Summary 3. Components of Successful Community Partnerships High-Functioning Schools Student-Centered Learning Environments Effective Partnership Teams Principal Leadership External Support Summary 4. Building Capacity for Successful Community Partnerships: A Vignette The School The Goal The Team The Project The Community Partners The Results Lessons Learned Summary 5. Bringing the Community In: An Elementary School Story Background Community Partners Commitment to Students' Learning Principal Leadership Action Team for Partnerships Welcoming School Climate Two-Way Communication Summary 6. Creating Closer Community Ties: A High School Study Background Principal Leadership A Student Focus Community Partners and Activities Summary 7. Promising Practices for Community Partnerships Activity 1: Goal--Improve Reading (2004) Activity 2: Goal--Improve Math Skills (2003) Activity 3: Goal--Increase Students' Awareness of Career Opportunities (2001) Activity 4: Goal--Improve Ninth-Grade Performance on State Proficiency Exam (2002) Activity 5: Goal--Improve Student Writing and Technology Skills (2002) Activity 6: Goal--Improve Student Reading (2002) Activity 7: Goal--Improve School Landscaping (2002) Activity 8: Goal--Provide Community Service (2002) Activity 9: Goal--Improve Student Oral and Written Communication (2004) Activity 10: Goal--Improve Facilities for Students With Disabilities (2004) Activity 11: Goal--Improve Student Science Skills (2000) Activity 12: Goal--Provide Afterschool Activities for Middle School Students (2000) Summary 8. Preparing Educational Leaders for Community Partnerships: A Workshop Agenda Building Community Partnerships Agenda Summary 9. Concluding Thoughts Resource A: Sample Activities Activity 1: Locating Community Partners Activity 2: Improving the Partnership Process Activity 3: Improving Community Partnership Quality Activity 4: Garnering Principal Support for Partnerships Resource B: Sample Letters Sample Letter 1: Partnership Communication Sample Letter 2: Partnership Activity Follow-Up Endnotes References Index

"A comprehensive guide to begin the process of involving community agencies and parents in the success of schools. Easy to read and gives step-by-step guidelines to making sure the pieces are in place for a successful community partnership." -- Susan Catapano "A broad and insightful overview of theory, research, and practice in the field of school-community partnerships. The author looks at common collaborations and a variety of goals, from improved math skills to better school landscaping." -- Curriculum Connections, Fall 2006 "The first comprehensive book written to guide educators and practitioners in the practical aspects of building school-community partnerships. Pushing us to move beyond a mere focus on parental involvement, Sanders calls for a broader understanding of engaging the community outside the school walls." -- Harvard Educational Review, Summer 2006