Schaps, E. (2009). Creating caring school communities. Leadership, 38(4), 8-11.
Synopsis:
“Creating caring school communities,” like much of the related literature, highlights the critical role that positive school environments and creating caring communities plays in influencing the lives of students, beyond just their academic success. The benefits of community building extend into the realm of social emotional learning, bullying, drug and violence prevention, and character building. What makes this article a little different, is its objective, which is not only to advocate for community building in schools, but to seek the support of district leaders and administrators. In their research, Schaps and his colleagues have found that one of the key ingredients to successful implementation of community building programs, is the support of district and school leaders. Without it, they say, the school flounders.
My Critical Reflection:
What I liked the most about this article was its realistic perspective on the implementation of community building programs in schools. They recognize the necessity for support at all levels (i.e. classroom, school, district) and the need for more practical professional development for teachers. As teachers, we have the best intentions, but sometimes we really do need someone to tell us exactly what to do! Once we become for familiar with the process, we can take off with it, but when we are trying something new in our classrooms we need a clear plan.
In the article, the author provides a link to a useful resource for those of us who want to learn more about community building in schools. Here you can find the link to the website for the Center for the Collaborative Classroom.
