When schools, parents, and communities engage, children's educational outcomes flourish more

What is it about?

When school staff, parents, and people in local communities engage with one another, they build trust and understanding and model ways of being together that children and young people mirror. In the process, education and learning extend across generations. Evidence suggests that people engage more in settings that are welcoming, and that people think about the spatial characteristics of school settings, the better the outcomes. Six components form a spatial core of school-parent-community engagement, namely spaces in which to communicate, connect learning at home and school, build community and identity, ensure consultative decision-making, collaborate, and participate in school life.

Featured Image

Photo by Baim Hanif on Unsplash

Photo by Baim Hanif on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This work matters because it invites school staff, parents, members of communities, and scholars interested in education and the built environment to focus on improving three kinds of space: physical, relative, and relational. Physical considerations include providing for outstanding school settings, designs, construction, or maintenance. Relative considerations include ensuring school settings suit all who connect with them, are close to stakeholders (either really or virtually or both), and guide people to circulate and connect. Relational considerations include strengthening the extent to which schools foster a broaders sense of place.

Perspectives