Good Schools Require the Support of Their Communities

Posted by Ann Deaton Share Your Voice

I just discovered in the Philanthropy News Digest a wonderful report from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform that suggests that schools cannot make powerful changes all by themselves. Instead, the report suggests, it takes a village to create sustainable change in our schools.

The Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) "promotes quality education for all children by building capacity for systemic education reform" working with communities and school leadership "to explore and refine the concept of “smart education systems” – networks of schools, community organizations, and services that promote high-quality student learning and development inside and outside of schools" (http://www.annenberginstitute.org/Vision/index.php).

Their recent report describes the power of a community actively engaged in and advocating for our schools to improve. Organizations supporting education reform include advocacy organizations, leadership development initiatives like Bounce, and parent associations. The combination of such organizations with the schools enables the creation of innovative solutions as well as providing the necessary resources and visibility. According to the report, "organizing groups have found that building school capacity and improving student outcomes requires intensive, sustained engagement with teachers, principals, and parents." A village indeed.

This report and several others can be found at the Annenberg Institute's web site at www.annenberginstitute.org.

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Ann Deaton I am a leadership coach, and Managing Partner in Bounce. I love to coach and facilitate with individuals and systems experiencing significant change and growth. The clients I work with, regardless of their age or position, are talented and creative individuals willing to look with fresh eyes at their challenges and opportunities, and to take action based on their discoveries. As a result, they find that they are capable of accomplishing far greater things than they ever imagined. What do you want to accomplish today? Who do you want to be?