What does it mean to have a strong school community?
The answer may vary, but one underlying theme would hold true: consistent communication is the foundation of a strong school community. Building a robust school community involves engaging several different key stakeholders, with differing objectives or points of view. Think of a school community much like an ecosystem. A social ecosystem of sorts that is made up of school administrators, parents, teachers, students, and even community officials – all held together in an intricate balance by communication and information sharing.
Without communication, students would not be aware of classroom and school expectations, parents would be left in the dark about important school events, and teachers would not have access to critical information to plan classroom learning. Building a strong school community has been attributed to the increase in success of students within a school, both inside and outside of the classroom.
Studies have found that strong school communities often benefit from:
- High numbers of active parent and student volunteers for in-school and after school events;
- Consistent participation by parents and community officials in parent/teacher associations;
- Collaboration between parents and teachers in improving student outcomes; and
- Having easily accessible teachers and administrators, willing to address parent concerns and questions.
But, why does a strong school community really matter?
For the STUDENTS, of course! Researchers at the Harvard Family Research Project performed a meta-analysis examining over 75 studies on school community involvement and student achievement among middle and low income school districts. The findings paint a vivid picture of the role that a strong school community can have on parental involvement and, in turn, student achievement rates.
In school communities that were characterized by high rates of parental involvement and teacher/parent collaboration, student success was measurably higher in the areas of:
- Standardized test scores;
- Grade point averages;
- Advanced placement course enrollment;
- School attendance; and
- Graduation rates.
How can you build a strong school community that is rooted in communication?
At Crescerance, leveraging the best in mobile technology to help build strong school communities is our passion! Our Embr Mobile School app is designed to make communicating within the school ecosystem seamless and immediate for all key stakeholders. With custom features such as embrREACH and embrNEWS parents, teachers, and administrators can have instant access to school event information, surveys, and critical announcements – all at their fingertips straight to their mobile devices. With over 68% of adults owning and using a smartphone daily, it is clear why apps like the Embr Mobile School app are becoming the communication glue that keeps school communities sharing information and growing stronger each year!
Every school community is different and unique. We’d love to hear what communication strategies and tools your school district or school uses to keep everyone informed and engaged. Post your comments below this blog.
Also, connect with us on Facebook to see firsthand how other schools are using mobile applications to enhance communication within their school communities.