Understanding the Role of Community Involvement in Schools

They say it takes a village to raise a child. In other words, having your community involved in your child's life is very important. The best examples of community involvement typically occur in schools. Some of these examples include volunteers from the outside community assisting in the classroom, chaperoning students, and engaging in fundraising efforts.Community Involvement Is Important for the KidsAccording to extensive research done over several years in high schools, having the community involved in students' lives is tremendously beneficial for them. The New Hampshire Department of Education provided a list of all the outstanding ways students benefit from community involvement.

1. Improved adaptation in school environments
2. Increased attendance
3. More consistent homework completion
4. Better test scores
5. Higher graduation rates
6. Improved social skills
7. Better relationships with their parents
8. Higher self-esteem
9. How To Get Your Community Involved

If you want to get the community involved, you have to let them know about the events that are happening. How do you do that when the administration barely has a change to reach out to the community beyond it's students? Here are a few ways to do just that.Put Up a Message on the School Marquee SignUsing the school marquee sign is a great way to let the community know what is going on in your school. Marquee signs for schools are typically right outside the building by the road, so drivers can easily see the messages they display. Having digital signs is great because you can easily change the message without having to go outside and manually change the letters, but traditional signage works just as well. In fact, over one third of people (37%) say that they look at an outdoor ad most times, if not every time, they pass one.Send Home School Newsletters in the MailThe school's newsletter is a great way to get the word out to your community about what is happening at school. Parents, family members, and even those who don't have children in school will be informed of all the school events taking place that month.Having the community involved in your school is a great thing, and the students benefit enormously. Send out newsletters and change up your school marquee sign to let the community know what's going on so they can get involved however they can.