An Analysis of Urban School Leaders' Role in Community Support and Involvement

Abstract

While school systems have the arduous task of educating a plethora of diverse students from different backgrounds and social economic status, the task is multifaceted. Epstein (1995) argued that to successfully meet the goal of improving education for all children, there must be considerably more involvement from parents, the community, and other stakeholders working together to promote the success of all students. That is, "students learn more and succeed at higher levels when home, school, and community work together to support students' learning and development" (Epstein & Sanders, 2006, p. 87). To meet the needs of such diverse students, their families, other administrators, and faculty (i.e., school community), school leaders, according to Green (2013, p. 14), must engage in several processes: (1) have knowledge of the emerging issues and trends that can potentially impact the school community; (2) be able to recognize the need to involve stakeholders in school decision-making; (3) assess whether they are highly visible; (4) assess whether they are actively involved; (5) assess their effectiveness in communicating with the larger community; (6) assess whether they give credence to individuals and groups whose values and opinions may conflict with theirs; and (7) assess whether they are recognizing and valuing diversity. In essence, these factors have an impact on the organizational structure of the school, influencing a collaborative culture of student, faculty, parental, and stakeholder decision-making processes (Wagner, 2007).