Standard 5. Community of Care and Support for Students

Effective educational leaders cultivate an inclusive, caring, and supportive school community that promotes the academic success and well-being of each student. Effective leaders:

a) Build and maintain a safe, caring, and healthy school environment that meets that the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of each student.

b) Create and sustain a school environment in which each student is known, accepted and valued, trusted and respected, cared for, and encouraged to be an active and responsible member of the school community.

c) Provide coherent systems of academic and social supports, services, extracurricular activities, and accommodations to meet the range of learning needs of each student.

d) Promote adult-student, student-peer, and school-community relationships that value and support academic learning and positive social and emotional development.

e) Cultivate and reinforce student engagement in school and positive student conduct.

f) Infuse the school’s learning environment with the cultures and languages of the school’s community.

GELS 5 activity: observation of what the school do to care of the community and support for students

Reflection:

• Provide a personal greeting and welcome packet for all parents visiting the school, including a community services directory, important school contact information, school calendar and coupons to local businesses.
• Have teachers make personal contacts with families through e-mail, phone calls or home visits.
• Hold an open house, prior to school opening, at which families can meet their children’s teachers, tour the school building and meet other parents.
• Provide transportation and child care to enable families to attend school-sponsored, family-involvement events.
• Offer translators to welcome and assist families during school activities.
• Provide workshops and materials for parents on typical development and appropriate parent and school expectations for various age groups.
• Print suggestions for parents on home conditions that support learning at each grade level.
• Partner with local agencies to provide regular parenting workshops on nutrition, family recreation or communication.
• Have school personnel make home visits at transition points such as preschool and elementary, middle and high school to help families and students understand what to expect.

Establish effective school-to-home and home-to-school communication.

• Provide printed information for parents on homework policies and on monitoring and supporting student work at home.
• Send home folders of student work weekly or monthly for parent review and comment.
• Develop electronic grade booklets so families can frequently monitor their children’s progress.
• Clearly communicate school policies to all families in their home language.
• Establish formal mechanisms for families to communicate to administrators and teachers as needed (e.g., direct phone numbers, e-mail addresses, weekly hours for families to call or meet).
• Create a families “suggestion or comment” box (electronic and onsite) for families to anonymously provide their questions, concerns and recommendations.

Strengthen families’ knowledge and skills to support and extend their children’s learning at home and in the community.

• Provide training and materials for parents on how to improve children’s study skills or learning in various academic subjects.
• Make regular homework assignments that require students to discuss with their families what they are learning in class.
• Provide a directory of community resources and activities that link to student learning skills and talents, including summer programs for students.
• Offer workshops to inform families of the high expectations and standards children are expected to meet in each grade level. Provide ways for families to support the expectations and learning at home.
• Engage families in opportunities to work with their children in setting their annual academic, college and career goals.

Engage families in school planning, leadership and meaningful volunteer opportunities.

• Create roles for parents on all decision-making and advisory committees, properly training them for the areas in which they will serve (e.g., curriculum, budget or school safety).
• Provide equal representation for parents on school governing bodies.
• Conduct a survey of parents to identify volunteer interests, talents and availability, matching these resources to school programs and staff-support needs. 
• Create volunteer recognition activities such as events, certificates and thank-you cards.
• Establish a parent telephone tree to provide school information and encourage interaction among parents.
• Structure a network that links every family with a designated parent representative
• Connect students and families to community resources that strengthen and support students’ learning and well-being.