ERIC Number: ED432030
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1998-Oct
Students, Parents and Community Members as Partners in Strategic School-Community Planning.
Blick, Charles (Buzz)
Classroom Leadership Online, v2 n2 Oct 1998
This paper explores the question of who should be involved in strategic decisions that affect a school, a cluster of schools, or an entire school district. It discusses the common problems that hamper effective participation: such as workgroups that are too large or too small; selecting the same roster of persons to serve as team members; choosing participants from the top down, rather than from the bottom up; the failure to clarify expected levels of participation; and the tendency to reinvent the wheel. The article recognizes that grassroots involvement can lead to increased public ownership of schools, but such change requires educators to develop attitudes, beliefs, and practical skills that enable them to benefit from their community's increased involvement. The paper lists the eight steps for making participatory design efforts work: (1) define the results you want to achieve; (2) define the system you need to involve for the results you want; (3) form a temporary project-design team; (4) decide whether you want and/or need an outside consultant; (5) create a project-theme statement; (6) identify key participants; (7) recruit a project-management team; and (8) begin an appropriate strategic-planning process. The article gives some examples of participative planning. (RJM)
Descriptors: Cooperative Planning, Decision Making, Elementary Secondary Education, Parent Participation, Parent School Relationship, Participative Decision Making, School Community Relationship, Social Networks, Social Support Groups
Web site: http://www.ascd.org/pubs/cl/1oct98.html
Publication Type: Collected Works - Serials
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Note: "Classroom Leadership Online" is described as "the online companion newsletter to 'Classroom Leadership'", published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NCD).