Type 6 - Collaborating with the Community

Today we conclude our 6 Types of Involvement discussion. If you have been following us, we have talked about 5 of Epstein's 6 Types of Involvement.

Type 1 - Parenting
Type 2 - Communicating
Type 3 - Volunteering
Type 4 - Learning at Home
Type 5 - Decision Making
Type 6 - Collaborating with the Community

These leaves us with Type 6, collaborating with the community. Ask yourself, how does my technology center collaborate with the community?

• How does your technology center coordinate resources and services from the community?
• How does it provide resources for families, students, and the school?
  
• How does it provide services to the community?

In today's tough economic times their are opportunities everywhere to partner with your community like hosting job fairs and soft skill workshops to help displaced workers.

Other ideas to work with your community and questions to ask may include....

• Are your business partners active in providing student scholarships through your foundation?
  
• How about getting the local Rotary or Lions Clubs to start a Student of the Year program?
• Have you held a student organization day like Scouting CareerTech?
• Do your CTSO's participate in community events like Adopt a Highway?
• Have you considered hosting a community wide Thanksgiving Meal?
• Maybe invite your community members to a Health and Fitness Night?
  

There are many ways that you can get involved in the community and for the community to get involved with your technology center. These are just a few thoughts and ideas, where will your creativity take you?

I hope that the 6 Types of Parental Involvement have inspired you to start a conversation about how to get parents involved in your students' education. This is not the end of the conversation on this Blog, and I hope it marks the beginning of your conversation with decsion makers on your campus.

By working with and including parents in the educational process, we become more succesful as we transtion students to college and career.

The 6 Types of Parental Involvement were developed by, Dr Joyce Epstein, Director of the National Network of Partnership Schools at John Hopkins University.