A vital role of the Board is to gather community direction on issues related to students, their learning environment, and academic learning and achievement. Engaging stakeholders through Community Engagement is an excellent leadership model to validate community voices and be collaborative with action steps to establish district vision and goals. This allows the board to respond to the operational and instructional goals aligned to reflect the community’s values for the students. Collectively this builds community support with administration, teachers, staff and students for needed improvement.

Key to this form of school improvement planning is a school-based action plan that identifies the needs of the students and staff. Because the process is primarily focused on needs, it enables all stakeholders including those who do not have a direct tie to the school (i.e., neither employed by the district nor do they have a child (ren) enrolled in the school district) the ability to provide input. It is often this sector of the community (i.e., senior citizens, non-parent, and/or taxpayers) the board must work diligently to engage.

For more information about the NASB Community Engagement service, please contact
Marcia Herring at 800-422-4572 or mherring@NASBonline.org