Republic of the Philippines

Laguna State Polytechnic University

Province of Laguna

GRADUATE STUIDIES AND APPLIED RESEARCH

Code : THE 207

Course description: Administration and Supervision in
Technology and Home Economics
Professor : Ms. Lorena H. Gracia
Reporter : Angelo E. Obediente
Course : MAEd-THE
Email : [email protected]

INTEGRATING THE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY

AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPERVISORY FUNCTION

Objectives:

1. To develop the ability to understand the new trend in education in this country.
2. To establish a proper concept of the need and purpose of school-community
relationship.
3. To develop an understanding of the principles of good school-community
relations.

The New Trend in Education

The change taking place in our public school system in the nature of school
objectives and methods of teaching. Closely related to these changes is also
noticeable change in the attitude of education toward the relationship which should
exist between the school and the community it serves.

Towards this changes, it is being urged that the school should;

1. Seek the learning situations within the realities of the community living.
2. Pupils should be given opportunities to observe, study, and participate socially.
3. School should project its program into the life of the community.

Introduction of the Community School

The community needs the school as a positive force for economic and social
betterment. The school can be useful in promoting and improving community life and
conditions and in furthering the social and economic well-being of the community.
 When the school and the community have learned to cooperate with one
another, many opportunities will arise to unite their efforts and materials on projects
for community improvement.

The Needs and Purpose of School Community Relationships

It is very important that the school and the community should be harmoniously
related. In order the school-community relations may be well conceived, it is necessary
that the school administrators and supervisors must have a clear understanding of the
purposes of such programs; otherwise, such relationship would tend to be haphazard
and relatively ineffective.

The following are some of the purposes of school-community relationships:

1. To improve the quality of children’s learning.

It is necessary to know the important of educational program, and they
also be familiar with the community resources which may be utilized to enrich
and supplement the school program.

2. To improve the quality of community living.

Through cooperative work, the school can assist in solving problems
such as those of improving home and community sanitation, beautifying homes
and gardens, increasing the crop yield, improving child care, and providing
adequate recreational community activities.

3. To develop an understanding and support of the community’s program of public

education.
In order that the public school may be maintained, it is necessary that
the citizens be convinced that public education is a good investment. This plan
is to convince the community that what is operating in the school is as good as
the programs operating elsewhere.

Ways of Developing Good School-Community Relations

1. Provide school-visiting days for parents.

It should be planned to give the parents opportunities to see the teacher
and the pupils work in the classroom. This will also give the parents opportunity
to talk to the teachers individually regarding their children’s development at
school and at home.

2. Provide public participation in the study of school-community problems.

Cooperative school action is perhaps the most effective means of
developing good school-community relations. When the school and community
work together on problems of common concern, a sense of essential kinship
and oneness between them is fostered.

3. Make the school the center of community improvement.

This leadership implies that the school should cooperate with other
agencies in coordinating the community improvement in order to fulfill its true
function to the people of the community.
4. Make the school a democratic social center.
Public meetings and social discussions, public debates, literary, national
and local celebrations, and instructive lectures may be held in the school
building under proper restrictions. To make the school a democratic center, the
facilities of the school plant must be made available for the community projects
and activities.

5. Encourage your community to serve the school.

The school administrator and supervisor should stimulate the people of
the community to serve the school. This principle will tend to form closer school-
community bonds. The Parents-Teacher Association is one of the most
important community agency of school-community relationship. There are also
ways in which the community may serve the school. For example, the
community members who have special needs assistance in music and dance,
and the like.

6. Know your own community or the community you are serving.

School administrator and supervisor, as well as the classroom teachers,
must be familiar with the nature of the community, its characteristics, its
resources, its problem, its public improvement and its social development.
Generally, the best way to bring about the study of the community is for the
school officials of the community to make it a major social interest.

7. Membership in community organization.

Membership in community organizations is desirable for any school
administrator or supervisor. Service clubs, fraternal orders, business and
professional organizations, church, and civic improvement bodies are all
examples of the kinds of organizations in which membership is profitable in
terms of better school-community relationships.

8. Inform your community about the school.

School administrator and supervisor must take the responsibility to form the
people of the community activities and accomplishment of the school. To
accomplish this, the school must employ publicity or public relation techniques.
Publicity through social media and television is one of the modern means of
informing the public and of securing better understanding and support for the
school.

9. Know the community standards.

On important ethical matters, the local school administrators, supervisors, and
teaching staff must accept community standards of the community standards.
Likewise, the customs and traditions of the local community must also be
respected if cooperative association between the school and the community is
desired.

10. Observe democratic group process in dealing with the public.

If the human relations aspects of the public relations program are well
handled by the school administrator or supervisor, they can vitalize the
effectiveness of the entire program of the school-community relations. Good
 relationships between school and community will result if democratic principles
such as consideration and respect of the opinions, rights, abilities, and feelings
of others are observed.

11. Establish working relationship with local or national organizations.

Many organizations supplement the activities carried in the public
school. The linking of the personnel of the local organizations with the
administrative and teaching personnel of the school and community relations
wherever such interlocking of personnel is brought about.

12. Home-visits by the teachers.

Visits of the teachers to the homes of their pupils’ form on essential
element of school-home relations. Home-visits will promote better
understanding between the home and the parents. Cooperative relationships
between the home and the school are essential to the functioning of modern
education.

Principles of Good School-Community Relations

1. The principle of leadership is the keynote to school community relations.
The leader must regard himself, not as an expert or director who works
outside the group, but as a member, working within. A democratic leader must
understand the subtle interactions of individual and groups.

2. The principle of cooperation is basic to the development of good school-

community relations.
Basic to this idea is the development of a greater sense of sharing and
cooperation in a given task or project on the part of the school personnel and
the people of the community. The school should plan and work cooperatively
with the community on projects of direct service to the community.

3. The principle of participation is essential in developing close school-community

relations.
This principle is closely related to the principle of cooperation. To be
effective, cooperation must be followed by action or participation.

4. The principle of coordination promotes close school-community relations.

This principle calls for a unified action of various social groups and
independent organizations in the community. Unity can only be accomplished
by recognizing each group as equally important in any community projects.
Close school community relations develop best in an atmosphere of
cooperation and coordinated actions.

5. The principle of friendliness is a dynamic source of good school-community

relations.
The cultivation of friendliness should be made one of the objectives of
the Parent-Teacher Association. Friendliness between teachers and parents
begets close school-community relations.
 6. The principle of objectivity is fundamental to the development of close school-
community relations.
The school-community relations program must be objective and tenable.

7. The principle of evaluation is an integral part of good school-community

relations.
Evaluation is process pf making judgement that are to be used as a basis
for planning. The progress and outcomes of school-community relations should
be evaluated in terms of objective research procedure.

The Teachers’ Responsibility in Promoting Public Relations

Teachers have recognized responsibilities in the field of public relations as an

indispensable asset to a school and should therefore be concerned with policies that
tend to develop them.
In order to implement the integration of school and the community, the Director of
the Bureau of Public Schools, issued the following orders:

1. Out-of-school agencies are allowed to use the public-school, buildings, and

facilities for civic and educational activities.
2. community service rendered by the school should be emphasized.
3. Community assemblies, public forums, group discussions, and civic
educational lectures should be encouraged and facilitated by the school.
4. School library may be open to interested readers in the community, provided
that the regular use of the library by the students is not interfered with any way.