National Standards Implementation Guide: Standard 6 - Collaborating With Community

Standard 6—Collaborating with Community
Families and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families, and staff to expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation.

Partnerships that connect a school with businesses, hospitals, colleges, service clubs, social service agencies, youth organizations, public housing projects, labor unions, churches, and other community groups can turn a neighborhood into a thriving place to live, work, and raise a family. Many school districts are creating full-service community schools that offer one-stop resource centers for families and residents. Schools are opening their doors and allowing their communities to use facilities and meeting rooms as a way of applying school resources to solve problems.

There is one main goal for Standard 6:

Connect the school with community resources: Parent and school leaders should work closely with neighborhood associations, government agencies, businesses, and universities to strengthen the school. These collaborations should make resources available to students, school staff, and families and build a family-friendly community.

What links to community resources has the school forged?
Have parents and families been part of that process?
In what ways has support from community partners been organized?

Access the resources below for methods to encourage collaboration.

Background

Success Story: Van Bokkelen Elementary
How a Maryland elementary school became a community hub

Toolkit

Action Steps
Ways parents and leaders can encourage collaboration

Additional Resources

Standard 6 Resources
Word document listing additional resources related to Standard 6