But all families sometimes need help, and many who live in poverty or in unstable settings need more help than others. Principals don't have to be social workers to help these families meet their child-rearing responsibilities. By engaging the help of public and private community agencies and organizations, religious institutions, and employers, the school can work within the community to offer supports and strengthen the ability of families to do the right thing by their children. Understand that a partnership is a two-way street. School success and community success are linked.
Schools reflect their communities and vice versa.
Principals can take the lead in connecting education with the community's economic and social development. Schools also are employers, who can hire local residents, and purchasers, who can buy from local merchants. They also are neighbors who can join neighborhood projects such as crime watches, cleanup campaigns, neighborhood gardens, food banks, and cooperative purchasing. Partnerships work best when the relationship represents an exchange of benefits between schools and community organizations. For schools to really close the educational gap, they need to develop partnerships and implement programs that are carefully designed, with input from all affected groups, that are consistent with the principles outlined above, and faithfully executed.