Community Engagement in Education: Diverse Stakeholders Share Their Roles in Educational Policy and Practice

Dear Colleagues,

Communities are often mentioned in the titles of family–school–community engagement studies and conference presentations, but they are rarely the focus of research and discussion (Schutz, 2006). While this observation was made in Schutz’s (2006) meta-analysis of the literature addressing community engagement in education, it still resonates twenty years later. The existing community engagement literature describes the benefits of collaboration, the diverse landscape of potential community partners across communities (Hands, 2005; Sanders, 1999, 2001; Wohlstetter et al., 2003), a process for developing school–community partnerships (Gregoric, 2013; Hands, 2005, 2023), and ways to maintain them (Sanders & Harvey, 2002). While schools are situated in geographic or civic communities and increasing numbers of school districts have system-wide policies to promote family–school–community engagement in education (Epstein, et al., 2006; Hands, 2005, 2023), some schools are still siloed and community engagement in education is not widespread, despite the available guidance in creating school–community partnerships. For the same reason, educational institutions may not play much of a role in community development. This disconnect serves as a reminder that school–community collaboration does not happen in a vacuum. It is shaped by a complex web of social context, institutional routines, and power dynamics. These factors influence not only educational institutions’ potential partners but also how those relationships take shape, whether they are sustained over time, and whether they are meaningful for those involved (Bascia, 1996; Lin, 1999). Having a sociological perspective helps us to better understand how schools and universities, as social institutions, operate within broader systems, systems that affect access, equity, and the level of trust between educational institutions and the communities that they aim to serve.

This Special Issue centers on how school personnel engage with community members and the broader institutional and social systems that support or hinder these connections. It spotlights the various social contexts that impact school–community collaboration and the ways in which community engagement policies are conceptualized, developed, and implemented. This Special Issue also highlights the role of education in community development. We welcome studies that demonstrate innovative collaborative practices or partnership challenges, along with the ways in which school personnel and community members have overcome them from both school and community perspectives. The collection of studies is intended to complete the following:

• Represent well-designed, current research.
• Reflect engagement in education across a variety of contexts including:
  • The level of educational institution—preschool (early childhood education), elementary, secondary and tertiary (college or university) settings;
  • Degree of community involvement in schools—interagency collaboration (partners external to the school), full-service schools (wrap-around, community services offered on school campuses), and full-service community schools (similar to wrap-around except that community members are involved in school decision-making);
  • Distinguishing community characteristics—urban, rural or suburban residents’ demographics (socioeconomic status, ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity, etc.), and natural and human-made resources, as well as social, legal, and political contexts.
• Represent different stakeholders’ perspectives (e.g., school, district, for- and non-profit organizations, social services, government offices, etc.) .
• Educational institutions' roles in community development.
• Highlight recommendations for policy, practice and research, including theoretical contributions.

This Special Issue will provide researchers, policymakers and practitioners with an understanding of the contextual elements that need to be considered to chart a course from school–community engagement policy intent to implementation. Its ultimate goal is to ensure that students have access to relevant education that allows them to flourish, preparing them to contribute solutions to complex social, economic, and environmental global challenges (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2018).  

References

(Bascia, 1996). Bascia, N. (1996). Caught in the crossfire: Restructuring, collaboration, and the “problem” school. Urban Education, 31(2), 177-198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085996031002004.

(Epstein, et al., 2006). Epstein, J. L., Gallindo, C., Sheldon, S.B., & Williams, K.J. (2006, April). Levels of leadership: Understanding district influence on schools, and programs of family and community involvement. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.

(Gregoric, 2013). Gregoric, C. (2013). School-community involvement. UNESCO-APNIEVE.

(Hands, 2005). Hands, C. M. (2005). Patterns of interdependency: The development of partnerships between schools and communities. (Unpublished dissertation). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto.

(Hands, 2023). Hands, C. M. (2023). Pathways to community engagement in education: Collaboration in diverse, urban neighbourhoods. Palgrave Mcmillan.

(Lin,1999). Lin, N. (1999). Building a network theory of social capital. Connections, 22(1), 28-51.

(OECD, 2018). OECD. (2018). The future of education and skills: Education 2030. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/en/publicatons/the-future-of-education-and-skills_54ac7020-en.html.

(Sanders, 1999). Sanders, M. G. (1999). Schools’ program and progress in the National Network of Partnership Schools. The Journal of Educational Research, 92(4), 220-232.

(Sanders & Harvey, 2003). Sanders, M.G., & Harvey, A. (2002). Beyond the school walls: A case study of principal leadership for school-community collaboration. Teachers College Record, 104(7), 1345-1368.

(Schutz, 2006). Schutz, A. (2006). Home is a prison in the global city: The tragic failure of school-based community engagement strategies. Review of Educational Research, 76(4), 691-743.

(Wohlstetter, et al., 2003). Wohlstetter, P., Malloy, C. L., Smith, J., & Hentschke, G. (2003). Cross-sectorial alliances in education: A new approach to enhancing school capacity. (Working paper). Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Rossier School of Education, Center on Educational Governance.

Dr. Catherine Hands
Guest Editor

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• community involvement
• community engagement in education
• school-community relations
• social context
• educational reform
• K-12 education
• higher education
• educational partnerships
• collaboration