BUILDING CARING COMMUNITY WITH FAMILIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNER

Dan Schwartz, Head of School, Baker Demonstration Schooldschwartz@bakerdemschool.orgOctober 27, 2012

The Rag Coat What does community mean? Examples of community Role of relationships in community Power of community Challenges to and within community

What is Community? “In thinking of community, we need to

emphasize the process words: making, creating, weaving, saying, and the like. Community cannot be produced simply through rational formulation nor through edict…Community is not a question of which social contracts are the most reasonable for individuals to enter. It is a question of what might contribute to the pursuit of shared goods: what ways of being together, of attaining mutuality, of reaching toward some common world.” M. Greene

Redefine Community “The task of creating environments where all

kids can experience the power of their ideas requires unsettling not only our accepted organization of schooling and unspoken and unacknowledged agreement about the purpose of schools. Taking this task seriously also means calling into question our definitions of intelligence and the ways in which we judge each other. And taking it seriously also means accepting public responsibility for the shared future of the next generation.” D. Meier

Role of School “If you want schools to perpetuate the

present order…then one type of intellectual method…is indicated. But if one conceives that schools should strive to educate with social change in view by producing individuals not complacent about what already exists, and equipped with desires and abilities to assist in transforming it, quite a different method and content is indicated” J. Dewey, 1928

Redefine School In these schools “the organizational

structure and policies, interpersonal dynamics, instructional practices and curriculum content…help move children [and adults] toward values of social bonding, caring, responsibility and justice” J. Goodman

Leadership for Community Shared leadership includes an emphasis on

relationships, meaningful collaborative decision making, a shared vision, opportunities for staff leadership, and reflective practice.

Shared leadership does not just happen. It must be consciously woven, carefully including the differing strands of student, staff and parent interests. Like a tapestry, these threads, once interwoven, become stronger and inter-reliant, the picture they represent more detailed and meaningful.

Shared Leadership Sergiovanni, for example, believes that

shared leadership creates a schoolhouse in which “principals, teachers, parents, and students [become] self-managing, accepting responsibility for what they do, feeling a sense of obligation and commitment to do the right thing.” Sergiovanni

Democracy, Leadership and Community

“In becoming purposeful communities, schools provide the structure necessary to develop a culture of empowerment, collegiality, and transformation. The leadership of the school community does not rely of ‘power over’ but on ‘power through’ others to accomplish shared visions and goals” Sergiovanni

A Community of Learners and Leaders

In a community of learners people “value and honor learning, participation, and cooperation above prescription, production, and competition.” It is a place where “adults and children learn simultaneously and in the same place to think critically and analytically and to solve problems that are important to them.” R. Barth

Family/School Connections The right kinds of school-family

connections – those built on relationships, listening, welcoming, and shared decision making – can produce multiple benefits for students, including higher grade point averages and test scores, better attendance, enrollment in more challenging courses, better social skills, and improved behavior at home and at school. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory 2002

Involvement versus Engagement Family involvement versus Family

engagement Involvement - identifying projects,

needs, and goals and then telling parents how to contribute

Engagement - listening to what parents think, dream, and worry about – not serving clients but gaining partners

Engagement Listening Relationships Communication versus Conversation Shared goals Meaningful involvement

Characteristics of a Good Teacher

CaringEncouraging

Interesting, PersonableGood/Quality Teacher/Teaching

Helpful, Dedicated, StrictMotivating

Fun, Demanding, Expectations, Compassionate

PDK/Gallup 2010 Annual Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, Phi Delta Kappan, September 2011

Power of Caring A circle of

caring – creating a community of trust

CASEL Study

The Baker Story Baker story Baker Demonstration School Forming a vision, defining a mission Developing core values

Models of Engagement and Involvement

Skokie School book groups Skokie School, Winnetka

Llano Grande community projects, Texas Llanogrande Center

Macdonough Elementary School, Middletown, Connecticut

Mission Hill School, Boston Mission Hill School

Baker Demonstration School, Evanston  

School/Parent Learning Compact

1st Grade Teachers Will•Conduct daily small-group reading instruction.•Read aloud each day to students.•Provide take-home reading materials for students.•Provide homework that supports topics learned at school.•Take weekly trips to the school library.•Keep families informed of children's reading progress and ways to support learning at home. 

1st Grade Families Will•Make reading a daily part of family time.•Ask children questions about books they're reading.•Visit the local library on a regular basis.•Complete homework assignments with students.•Attend family literacy events at Macdonough School.•Stay in touch with teachers about reading progress. 

Source: Macdonough Elementary School, Middletown, Connecticut 

Sample School-Family Compact

Sensitivity to Cultural Differences “Parents come to schools with their own

education beliefs and priorities, which may not always match those of the school. In democratic schools, we need to elicit more parent perspectives to jointly shape policies and programs and address inequities.” Auberbach, “Learning from Latino Families.” Educational Leadership, May 2011

Peabody School, Cambridge MA Is anyone listening to families’ dreams? Connecting with parents at home

Sensitivity to Cultural Differences

Six Strategies for Enhancing Hispanic Parent Involvement

Remove language barriers between the parents and the schools.

Address economic obstacles that hinder parental involvement.

Schedule activities to make transportation easier for parents.

Empower and motivate parents to get involved. Promote teacher-parent relations. Acknowledge and empower parental aspirations.

Zimmerman-Orozco, “A Circle of Caring,” Educational Leadership, May 2011

Challenges to Community External Internal Situational

Redwoods Redwood trees grow tall and strong.

They live hundreds of years. Yet, the root structure for redwoods is very shallow, seemingly in contradiction to their size and age. Redwood roots may be shallow but they achieve great strength by interlocking themselves with those of surrounding trees. In this interdependence they become strong and resilient, and are able to live long and healthy lives.

There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.Ask what is possible not what’s wrong. Keep asking.Notice what you care about.Assume that many others share your dreams.Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.

Talk to people you know.Talk to people you don’t know.Talk to people you never talk to.

Be intrigued by the differences you hear.Expect to be surprised.Treasure curiosity more than certainty.

Invite in everybody who cares to work on what is possible.Acknowledge that everyone is an expert about

something.Know that creative solutions come from new connections.

Remember, you don’t fear people whose story you know.Real listening always brings people closer together.Trust that meaningful conversations can change your world. Rely on human goodness. Stay together.M. Wheatley

Bibliography Auberbach, S. ( May 2011). Learning From Latino Families. Educational Leadership. 68(8), 16-21. Barth, R. (1990). Improving schools from within: Teachers, parents, and principals can make the difference.

San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Bushaw, W. (September 2010). PDK/Gallup 2010 Annual Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools,

Phi Delta Kappan. 92(N1), 8-27. Dewey, J. (1928). Progressive education and the science of education. In Archambault, R., ed. (1964). John

Dewey on education. New York: Modern Library Publications. Ferlazzo, L. ( May 2011). Involvement or Engagement? Educational Leadership. 68(8), 10-15. Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of freedom: Ethics, democracy, and civic courage. Lanham, MD: Rowman and

Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Goodman, J. (1992). Elementary Schooling For Critical Democracy. New York: State University of New York

Press. Greene, M. (1995). Releasing the imagination: Essays on Education, the arts, and social change. San

Francisco: Jossey Bass. Kugler, E. ( May 2011). Is Anyone Listening to Families’ Dreams? Educational Leadership. 68(8), 32-37. Meier, D. (2002). In schools we trust. Boston: Beacon Press. Mills, L. (1991). The Rag Coat. Boston: Little Brown. SEDL. (2001). Beyond the Building: A Facilitation Guide for School, Family, and Community Connections.

www.sedl.org/connections/toolkits/beyond-the-building.pdf Sergiovanni, T. (1996). Leadership for the schoolhouse. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Wheatley, M. (2002). Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future. San

Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Zimmerman, S. ( May 2011). A Circle of Caring. Educational Leadership. 68(8), 64-68.