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EDEL 626: The School and Community Relations.

Prerequisites: None

Credit Hours: (3)

Students will develop understandings of the principles and practices of human relations within schools. The course includes research and best practices in school public relations programs, development of mutual school and community understandings, public participation in planning school programs and services, cooperative activities with appropriate community groups, and the relationship of school administrators and staff.  Students will analyze their leadership skills, and their beliefs, values, actions and their potential impact upon all stakeholders.  Students will apply course content to the examination of changing demographic populations, change processes, and the impact of change on all aspects of school and community.

 
Detailed Description of Content of Course

This course will focus on the vital role of developing positives relations within the community in which the school resides. Topics include:

1. School Climate

2. Schools and their communities

3. A model for human relations in the workplace

4. Elements of communication

5. Communicating with the school鈥檚 internal publics

6. Communicating with the school鈥檚 external publics

7. Group processing and consensus-building skills

8. Conflict resolution and problem-solving skills

9. Aligning community vision for school with school vision and with district vision for schools

10. Developing a school relations and community relations plan

11. Analyzing district power structures and services

12. Working with diversity

13. Communicating in writing

14. Working with the news media

15. Establishing school-business partnerships

16. Evaluating a total school relations and school-community relations plan

 
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

Course readings will serve as a primary content basis for in-class discussions. Case studies and role-plays will be used in conjunction with material related to issues involving the school and its community.  Twenty hours of structured field experiences with on-site mentor principals and/or supervisors will also be required for completion of the course and will be discussed in class.  A variety of written and/or oral assignments (research reviews, reflective writings, narrative responses, journals, formal papers, book-talks) will be used along with inventories to help students formulate their leadership styles and to develop an understanding of leadership in school community relations in diverse communities. Group and individual tasks will be used to process and reinforce information/skills and for class sharing.  Lectures by the instructor are utilized to supplement and reinforce course readings. 
 

Goals and Objectives of the Course

The goals, objectives, and assignments in this class address standards specified in Regulations Governing the Review and Approval of Education Programs in Virginia, Administration and Supervision PreK-12 and the National Educational Leadership Preparation standards.  
The student will:

1. Demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively engage diverse families in strengthening student learning in and out of school.

2. Demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively engage and cultivate relationships with diverse community members, partners, and other constituencies for the benefit of school improvement and student development.

3. Demonstrate the capacity to communicate through oral, written, and digital means within the larger organizational, community, and political contexts when advocating for the needs of their school and community.

4. Demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and application of the conditions and dynamics impacting a diverse school community, including:

• a. Emerging issues and trends within school and community relations;
• b. Working collaboratively with staff, families, and community members to secure resources and to support the success of a diverse population;
• c. Developing appropriate public relations and public engagement strategies and processes for building and sustaining positive relationships with families, caregivers, and community partners; and
• d. Integration of technology to support communication efforts.

5. Demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and application of basic leadership theories and influences that impact schools including the ability to identify and respond to internal and external forces and influences on a school.
6. Demonstrate necessary knowledge of effective communication skills including consensus building, negotiation, and mediation skills.
7. Demonstrate necessary knowledge, understanding and application of the purpose of education and the role of professionalism in advancing educational goals (VAS e).

 
Assessment Measures

All instructors of the course will assess students in the following ways:

• Students complete a project which requires they identify a communication problem within the school system in which they are employed and create solutions to the problem. 

Additionally, instructors may choose additional assessment measures from the following to assess learning in the course:

• Written assignments such as research papers; reflective writings; narrative responses; journal and/or book reviews; newsletters or news releases; commercial or advertising scripts; examinations; interviews of current or past educational leaders.
• Student engagement in actively demonstrating skill development through activities such as: in-basket activities; role play; simulations; demonstrations; presentations; group activities; field experiences; case studies.

 

Other Course Information

None


Approval and review dates

February 2000

2/27/09    reviwed and modified    William Flora

May 5, 2022