1. TSI Conference School-Community Relations
It’s Their School, Their Kids, and Their Money 1

2. School-Community Relations
Gene Sheets, Supt.
Muleshoe ISD
Region 17 (Lubbock)
1520 students
82% Economic
Disadvantaged
81% Hispanic,
18% White
15% LEP 2

3. School-Community Relations
WHAT…is it? HOW…do we do it? WHY…do we do it? WHO…does it?

4. School-Community Relations
It’s their school, their kids, and their money. 4

5. School-Community Relations
It’s our school, our kids, and our money. 5

6. Why is it important to have good school-community relations?
Accountability to
one’s publics
More choices
available to parents
More households do
not have children of school age than any other time
Changing demographics of students

7. Who is Responsible?
Principal must get all members of a school community involved.
Principal sets the tone for the school.
Changes are easier with principal who is in touch with community
Management by Walking
Around (Peters & Waterman, 2004)

8. Metropolitan Life Survey 2003
Metropolitan Life Survey on the American Teacher 2003: An Examination of School Leadership
Principal
Teachers
Parents
Students
Relationships
Principal/Teacher relationship is open, collaborative
84%
50%
Principal encourages students to achieve
59%
35%
34%
Principal respects people in the school
78%
36%
Sec principals satisfied with relationship with students
97%
60%
Principals satisfied with relationship with parents
93%
64%
Environment
School is welcoming to parents
89%
61%
Principal has excellent visibility in school
67%
38%
42%
School is safe
57%
46%
Communication
Principal is a good listener
53%
30%
27%
School has open communication
91%
58%

9. Metropolitan Life Survey 2003
Disconnect between
principal…school…community X

10. What is School-Community Relations?
Building public support and confidence in the school
Establishing trust between the school and the community
Preventing
misunderstandings
Humanizing the
school

11. Communications with Whom?
Internal Publics 11

12. Why Communicate with Internal Publics?
Most believable sources of information
Interpreters of the school’s policy
Internal publics can make or break you
External communication plan cannot exist without
internal plan 12

13. Who is the Most Believable Employee?13

14. Who is the Most Believable Employee?
Custodian
Bus driver
Cafeteria workers
Secretaries
Teachers
Principal 14

15. Why Communicate with Students?
Students are the most influential messengers of a school’s internal publics.
Students WILL communicate their feelings about the school
to others in the community.
Students can be a conduit
for good news to listening
ears. 15

16. EXTERNAL PUBLICS 16

17. Why Communicate with External Publics?
Opinions about a school come from members of the internal publics.
Parental involvement is an indicator of an effective school.
Key communicators keep members of the external publics informed
Non-parents need to be informed 17

18. How do we Involve Parents and Community?18

19. How do we Involve the Media
Important channel for communication in the community.
Share information, clear up misunderstandings, clarify situations
They will come to
your school
You can’t fight a
barrel of ink. 19

20. CONCLUSION Open, Honest, Two-way Communication
Learning is the shared responsibility of all school employees, students, home, media, and community 20

21. It’s Our School, Our Kids, and Our Money
Gene Sheets, Ed.D 21