5 Ways to Build Community Engagement in Schools
By Brandon Best
It’s pretty difficult to understate the importance of community involvement in schools.
At KIPP, when we talk about “Family and community engagement in school,” we’re talking about schools, families, and other stakeholders in the community sharing knowledge and information with each other. The purpose of that kind of engagement is straightforward: We want to make decisions that improve outcomes for students.
Engaging families in education and building a strong school-community partnership is a strategy that establishes credibility and trust by using consistent two-way messaging. It’s also the only way to actually build a school with the community as opposed to simply building a school in a community.
Communities won’t do business with people they don’t trust, and it’s no different with schools. Trust can’t be manufactured. It isn’t a transactional process. For communities to trust you, they need to be assured that they are dealing with teachers and school leaders who keep the best interests of the students and communities at the heart of what they do.
As you begin the process of starting your school, or building a community engagement strategy for your existing school, here are five ways to build community engagement in schools.