How can educational leaders transform educational systems through collaborative leadership that values and harnesses the potential, assets, and perspectives of students and families?
Community school leaders facilitate the transformation of their schools through deep and meaningful collaborative relationships with teachers, staff, community-school managers, families, students, and community partners. They establish essential structures that guide a shared vision for equity that include:
- Collaborative leadership: This community school strategy emphasizes the importance of leaders fostering collaborative leadership, cultivating a culture where educators, community members, families, and students collaborate towards shared objectives. This approach aims to establish a cohesive and supportive learning environment anchored in a unified vision for equity.
- A culture of care and belonging: Warm and caring community schools prioritize creating a culture of care belonging, with leaders playing a vital role in fostering an inclusive environment. This ensures that every student, family, and staff member feels valued, connected, and seen for the personal and cultural assets they bring to the learning environment.
Successful community school strategies rely on dynamic and synergistic relationships among all community members, each contributing their unique strengths and perspectives. In this context, site administrators, teacher leaders, community school managers, students, families, and community-based organizations form a collaborative network essential to the strategy's effectiveness. Through open communication, shared goals, and a collective commitment to student well-being, this collaborative effort becomes instrumental in fostering a nurturing and empowering educational environment.
In this immersive, two-part series, participants will:
- Visit Bay Area community schools
- Hear stories from community school leaders, teachers, staff, community partners, students and families
- Unpack and explore the conditions that foster community school transformation, including, collaborative leadership, and creating a culture of care and belonging
- Meet and share ideas with other Bay Area community school teams
- Make connections and reflect on what is needed to implement consistent community school practices within their specific contexts