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Community Effort
Community Guide
Communities That Support Schools And Families Are Better Places To Live, Work, And Learn
All across America, communities are pulling together to strengthen
education because they know it’s the key to a strong local economy,
a good quality of life, and a brighter future for everyone.
For communities, making education better means supporting families
and schools. Families are responsible for raising children, of course,
and schools are responsible for teaching children. But in these
difficult times, schools and parents often cannot do the job alone,
try as they might. They need to reach out for the help of neighbors
and others in their community.
That is where service organizations and agencies, religious groups,
volunteer groups, clubs, community leaders, and caring citizens
can help build a true “community partnership for learning”—and
make their community a better place to live, work, and learn.
How to build your community partnership for learning
Here's what your community can do:
Support greater family involvement in education.
Parents and families can’t sit on the sidelines when it comes to
their children’s education. They need to be personally involved,
every day. Parents need to read with children, help with homework,
stay in touch with teachers, and participate in school activities.
Research shows that when parents do get more involved, their children
get better grades and test scores, graduate from high school at
higher rates, have greater enrollment in higher education, and are
better behaved. In all these ways, family involvement in education
helps children to grow up to be productive, responsible members
of the community.
Support schools.
Community members can serve as mentors and volunteers in school.
In addition, communities can offer after-school, summer learning,
and recreation programs; locate library and cultural services near
to schools; make neighborhoods safer and drug-free; encourage the
development of business-school partnerships to create school-to-work
programs; support schools’ efforts to develop challenging academic
standards; and work to improve education in many other ways.
These efforts
will be rewarded. Communities that have good schools and better
educated residents are almost always safer, more stable communities
where businesses and families thrive. And these communities can
be magnets for new businesses and jobs.
Children: 20% of our population, 100% of our future
Support the effort to help children learn. Find out what resources
are available in your community for young people and help expand
them. Get personally involved as a volunteer.
Community Guide
| Combat Alcohol and Drugs | Teach Parenting Skills
| Provide Mentor Programs | Enlist Volunteers
| Offer Summer Programs | Support Preschool
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