School community relationship

In many contexts participation of parents and communities in the operation of schools has helped increase access, retention, and attendance rates of children to school. Education is a ‘social activity in which, in addition to the school, society plays the role of a facilitator and partner’ (Sujatha, 2011: 201). Successful schools understand the importance of establishing good and harmonious relations with the community in which they lie. These relationships exist at two levels, at a formal and legal level, as well as an informal and voluntary one. The former is expressed by the representation of the community through formal organizations such as School Management Committee (SMC), Village Education Committee (VEC), School Development Committee (SDC) and/or Parent and Teachers Associations (PTA). The latter takes the form of voluntary participation, where community members get involved through special activities or events.

In order to enhance the community’s participation in education, it is essential to promote a school environment where community members feel welcomed, respected, trusted, heard, and needed.

Promising policy options

Analyse the community

The school principal must examine the community in which the school lies in order to create good relationships with its members. Communities are composed of different ethnic, religious, and socio-economic groups that may have either mutual or divergent interests. Nevertheless, a community is defined as such because certain characteristics are shared by all its members –such as geographical proximity– which differentiates them from others. Recognizing the diversity within the community and understanding its characteristics, power-balance components, as well as its traditions, must be a primordial step for the school principal before beginning to build the relationship.

Community, religious, political, and ethnic leaders, as well as representatives from disability groups and businesses, among others, who have significant knowledge on the community and the school, should be encouraged by the school principal and the District or Local Education Office to get involved in the school. Not only their skills, knowledge, and capacities should be analysed, but also their willingness to build a solid relationship with the school. Assessing who participated, who did not, and why is of key importance since understanding the reasons why community members are not participating in school will help overcome the barriers. For example, some community members –such as PTA members or teachers– may not participate because they do not feel legitimized, excluded, or poorly informed to do so. For instance, in South Africa: ‘many parents lack the cultural capital to participate in the decision-making process and accept the professionals’ (principals and the teachers) definition of participation in democratic decision-making’ (Grant Lewis and Naidoo, 2006: 423). Creating specific strategies to include and legitimize everyone’s intervention is, therefore, a necessity.

It is also important to analyse any previous form of participation of the community in their school. Examining whether the initiatives were successful or not and why is of key importance for future involvement.  Moreover, the risk of monopolization of partnerships by political and intellectual elites inside the community should be assessed, as well as their relationships with other community members. For instance, through a review of World Bank programmes, the domination of the partnerships between the school and the community by the local elites was highlighted as a major concern (Nielsen, 2007).

Moreover, the school principal should support the school’s personnel and most importantly, the teachers, to be open to the community’s involvement in the school. Good relationships and regular communication between the teachers and the community are fundamental.   

Adopt pertinent policy measures to encourage community’s participation in the school

At the macro-level, the participation of communities in the school is not meant to replace the State’s responsibility. In fact, it requires the government to reinforce its involvement by passing specific legislation, decrees, policies, procedures, and guidelines concerning the different structures that link the school and the community.

At the micro-level, district or local Education Offices should establish clear policies and guidelines that define the responsibilities and functions of bodies composed by community members. Ensure the availability and accessibility of legal texts at the school and community level. As well as give to both, school and community stakeholders, specific training on their new responsibilities and inform them precisely about the existing regulations. As Bray states: ‘Partnerships need nurturing. Skills do not develop overnight, and attitudes may take even longer to adjust’ (2001: 33).

The role of the school head, community leaders and external actors

It is essential to have a school principal with strong leadership skills and interpersonal qualities. Recurrently, it is the school head who triggers the participation of community members in school and maintains a good relationship with them. Therefore, his or her willingness to open the school to the community and involve it in the management process is indispensable. The school head must spend time and effort preparing and encouraging the community’s participation in school. In addition, s/he must share the vision and plans of the school with community members, listen to their different points of view, and invite them to collaborate in school.

Community leaders and external actors (such as NGOs) should stay active in school, as they can act as linking agents between the school and the larger community. They should maintain regular communication with the community in the name of the school.

Design and implement awareness-raising campaigns

Awareness-raising campaigns should help parents and community members know the reasons for and benefits of their participation in school. They should also be informed about the different involvement opportunities, policies, and programmes, while making sure they understand that participation is inclusive. Multiple communication tools can be used for that purpose. If multiple languages are spoken in the community, translate the information and provide oral messages for illiterate community members. It is also essential to ensure the availability and accessibility of legal texts concerning community’s participation in the school at community- and school-level.

Community involvement in the school should be promoted with the help of other community members and school staff. Make those actors feel responsible for the success of the outreach strategy and motivate them to persuade more community members to participate in school. It is key to maintain an open, strong, transparent, regular and effective communication with community members with the help of School Committee members and the Community Development Officer –in case there is one (his/her task is to create a link between schools, homes, and communities). As stressed by Swift-Morgan, ‘the quality of the school-community partnership is proportional to the degree of communication between the school and its community’ (2006: 356). For instance, ensure the organization of regular and open meetings about the school to share important information such as results, funds, and activities. Involve stakeholders and allow them to express their concerns, ideas, and opinions.

Providing simple and concrete initial projects is essential to get the community members involved, for instance building a wall. Hosting events and inviting parents and community members to volunteer is also another common strategy. For instance, by mentoring students during school open forums, participating in role model events and sport activities, among others (Mahuro and Hungi, 2016).

Formal involvement of community members in school

Create inclusive groups by recurring to national legislations, policies, and procedures to involve community members in school. Decide a pertinent structure for their participation, for example, School Management Committee (SMC), Village Education Committee (VEC), School Development Committee (SDC) and/or Parent and Teachers Associations (PTA). Make sure that the members of the bodies are representative of the community served by the school. Fight against the unequal access to participation due to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, disability, political affiliation, and gender by defining inclusive criteria for membership –decide whether members are elected or nominated.

Define clear and mutually accepted roles and responsibilities by defining the roles, functions, responsibilities, and rights of each organization through a written statement. Conceive a clear plan of action for each structure in coordination with the other bodies, school authorities, and teachers. This is essential, and even more, when multiple structures co-exist, as a lack of clarity of assigned roles and overlaps of responsibility may become a source of conflict. Develop a culture of accountability and participation.

The involvement of community members in school is particularly useful to mobilize financial, material, and human resources. Community members can also participate in changing the community’s attitudes toward schooling. School Committee members can visit reluctant parents, explain the benefits of education and convince them to enrol their children to school. They may help the school authorities, as well as local and national authorities, to identify factors contributing to educational problems such as low enrolment, for instance, in Malawi, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania (UNICEF, 2009:232).

Tools such as the Community-based Education Management Information Systems (C-EMIS) can be used by the community members. Indeed, the C-EMIS is a decentralized tool used by community members to collect information about marginalized children in and outside the school system, which acts as a complement to the national EMIS, and that has been piloted in countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan (with the support of Save the Children and UNICEF) (Ahuja, 2005).

Finally, long-term commitment should be enhanced through periodic meetings and regular communication. Regular meetings should be organised while keeping in mind the time so that mothers/women, as well as people who work, can attend. Keeping a record of all meetings, decisions, and the community’s financial and material contributions is key.

Refer to Annex 1, for an example of what constitutes the School Management Committee (SMC), in India. It is a circular from the Directorate of Education, New Delhi.

Annex 1

For an example of what constitutes the School Management Committee (SMC), in India. It is a circular from the Directorate of Education, New Delhi.

It comprises of representation such as: 

• 50% of women in the committee.
• Proportional representation of parents/guardians of students from disadvantaged groups and weaker sections.

Source: India. 2013. Directorate of Education. Guidelines for composition of School Management Committee under the RTE Act and its functions.  

Conduct continuous M&E of school and community’s partnerships

It is essential to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the school-community partnership. The school head should launch periodically an assessment of the functioning and effectiveness of existing structures. Evaluate for example the number of meetings held, the variety of issues addressed, the level of authority that the formal bodies have and if the objectives have been accomplished. Communities constantly evolve, as well as their needs and demands, and so should the partnerships established between schools and community members.

Provide support and regular training

Enhancing the community’s capacities through training is essential to create effective partnerships between the school and the community. The District Education Office, through a pedagogical advisor, or external actors –such as NGOs– could accompany the school and the community in practicing their collaboration and create capacity-building opportunities.

The District Education Office should assess the capabilities of the community and provide training. Community members can be trained to create strong activism campaigns and advocacy in favour of enrolment and the benefits of education in their community. It is also important to train school staff on practical ways to work and communicate effectively with community members and parents, for instance, school committees can find volunteers to introduce teachers and other school staff to the community. Encourage them to appreciate diversity and reduce barriers to the community’s involvement in school.

* For more information consult Policy page Socio-cultural barriers to schooling.

Other policy options

Participative Decision Making: encourage and allow the community to play a principal role in school governance

The decentralization movement in many countries has led to the transfer of some functions to the school level and therefore, the amplification of schools’ autonomy. In some systems, decentralization has been so profound that the decision-making authority for school operation has been transferred to actors inside the school, such as the headteachers, teachers, parents, community members participating in school and students, this is known as school-based management (SBM). Although SBM has been found to be effective in some contexts such as in El Salvador (EDUCO), it is necessary to research and discuss it further, as well as analyse each particular context, before implementing it.

Policy options for improving Equity and Inclusion

Gender-responsive policies

All the different strategies mentioned in the general section of the present Policy page apply for this section. Stakeholders in charge of implementing them must make sure to take gender issues into consideration to effectively promote access and retention for all children. The following policy recommendations could be implemented to complement the aforementioned strategies.

Promising policy options

Include a gender analysis within the community analysis

Gain a clear understanding of existent gender roles, structures, and attitudes related to decision-making at the community level. Tackle them down to ensure an equitable engagement of community and family members within schools. Particularly, ensure women’s active participation (Derbyshire, 2002).

Equitable participation within formal structures (SMC, VEC, SDC, PTAs)

To guarantee women’s active engagement within formal structures, the following strategies are recommended:

• empower women in the community to actively participate in the school and be part of the structures in place;
• assign them real responsibilities within the structures;
• support them to embrace leadership roles;
• make meetings flexible (time and place) to ensure their attendance; and
• promote men’s positive attitudes towards women’s active participation (especially male community and religious leaders).

Provide gender-sensitive training opportunities to community and family members

Training opportunities should tackle gender issues affecting the participation of community members within the schools. For instance, provide special training in leadership skills, confidence building, communication skills, gender-sensitivity, and gender-mainstreaming.

Gear community and families’ engagement towards building inclusive, gender-responsive schools

Community and families’ active engagement in schools should be geared towards building inclusive, gender-responsive schools (physically, academically, and socially) as well as promoting children’s access and retention. Community and family stakeholders can contribute by:

• Developing awareness-raising campaigns to highlight the importance of schooling, tackle down socio-cultural beliefs against schooling and discriminatory gender norms which affect children’s education (e.g. Child marriage). For example, in southern sudan, awareness-rising on the importance of girls’ education done by community education committees, increased girls’ enrolment to 96 percent (miller-grandvaux and yoder, 2002, cited by sperling, winthrop and kwauk, 2016).
• Monitoring attendance.
• Collecting information on children out-of-school.
• Supporting the schools and families to develop flexible timetables.
• Linking what is taught in school with children’s daily lives (practical knowledge).
• Providing safe transportation to and from school.
• Ensuring that the school is a safe, welcoming, inclusive, gender-responsive environment (for more information consult policy pages school climate and school-related violence). For example, in Ethiopia, the community’s engagement within schools focused on creating gender-responsive schools (UNESCO, 2017).
• Contributing to the establishment of monetary and non-monetary incentive programmes to support children’s attendance to school. For instance, providing scholarships, subsidies, school feeding programmes, school supplies and uniforms (for more information about this subject consult Policy pages High direct costs and High opportunity costs).

These strategies should be designed to reach the most affected children within the community –either girls, boys or LGBTQI children. Performing a previous gender analysis is recommended to ensure that the policy options selected to target the pertinent population.  

Policies for children with disabilities

Although all of the different strategies mentioned in the general section of the present Policy page apply, stakeholders in charge of implementing them must make sure they are geared towards promoting access and retention for all children, including children with disabilities. The following policy recommendations could be implemented to complement the aforementioned strategies.

Promising policy options

Extend the education community (DPO’s, parents of children with disabilities, etc.)

Government legislation and policy, as well as schools, should consider the following groups as an integral part of the education community (UNESCO, 2009d):

• Disability People’s Organizations (DPOs);
• parents of children with disabilities;
• parents’ organizations; and
• community-based rehabilitation (CBR) workers.

Ensure their representation and active engagement within formal structures (e.g. SMC, VEC, SDC, PTA) and throughout the decision-making process. For example, Malawi’s SCM includes parents of children with disabilities (Grimes, Stevens and Kumar, 2015).

Mobilize knowledge and resources

The valuable knowledge and resources of the aforementioned stakeholders should be acknowledged and mobilized by governments and schools. Getting their support to promote the understanding of inclusion within the community and build consensus around inclusive education is essential. Indeed, the involvement of communities and families is a key pillar in the development of positive attitudes towards inclusive education and the promotion of a strategic framework for the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream settings (IIEP-UNESCO, 2019). Research shows that partnerships among families, communities, and schools can improve enrolment, attendance, and learning outcomes of children with disabilities in mainstream schools. For instance, in Lao People’s Democratic Republic consolidated relationships between inclusive schools and their communities contributed to significantly reduce repetition and improve attendance rates of children with disabilities (Howgego, Miles and Myers, 2014).

Advocacy and public awareness of the rights, needs, and capacities of children with disabilities is fundamental. Communities and families can act as levers for inclusive education in contexts where mainstream settings still deny the right of children with disabilities to access general education (UNESCO, 2009d). For example, as a result of the strong advocacy done by a parents’ association, Inclusion Panama, the Panamanian government changed the law in 2003 and introduced a new policy to make all schools inclusive (WHO, 2011). Similar actions have been done in Lesotho, South Africa and Australia (Miles, 2002). To support advocacy campaigns, low-cost documents to share information on how and why children with disabilities should access and participate in school should be conceived. Moreover, community members can support actions to identify children with disabilities out of school and persuade their families to enrol them. For example, in Viet Nam various community stakeholders came together to visit every house in communities –ranging from 5,000 to 7,000 residents– to identify children with disabilities out of school and encourage their families to enrol them (Howgego, Miles and Myers, 2014).

Additional strategies include:

• build accessible school infrastructure (consult Policy pages School Physical infrastructure and Buildings are not ready);
• contribute to making curriculum inclusive and accessible (consult Policy page Inadequate curriculum);
• fundraise to purchase accessible teaching and learning materials and assistive devices (consult Policy pages Availability of teaching aids and Availability and content of textbooks);
• provide transport for children with disabilities to and from school;
• provide medical treatment (especially CBR programmes) and help map all existent services for children with disabilities;
• help in assisting children with specific disabilities, such as mobility impairments;
• reflect together on how to overcome existing barriers to access and learning, building more inclusive education systems;
• ensure that the school is a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment (for more information consult Policy pages School climate and School-related violence); and,
• assist teachers. For instance, parents can share with teachers their knowledge concerning their children’s needs. Conversely, parents can learn from teachers to continuously reinforce their children’s learning at home (UNESCO, 2001).

Moreover, whenever training opportunities for inclusive education are available, community member’s participation should be ensured. They should also be welcomed to get involved in their preparation. For instance, getting the  insight and support from DPOs when organizing and holding this type of trainings is key.

Policies for displaced populations

Promising policy options

Foster an inclusive environment to ensure displaced community members’ involvement in the school

Engaging displaced families in the school can support the development of relationships between them, the host communities, and schools, thus facilitating the inclusion of displaced populations into mainstream settings. Yet, for this to be possible, an enabling environment promoting diversity and ‘the value of education for all members’ must be in place (IIEP-UNESCO, 2010: 107).  

A safe, inclusive environment must be developed so that displaced communities feel welcomed, encouraged, and empowered to become active members of the school. For this to happen, it is key to address any form of exclusion, discrimination, xenophobia, and racism within schools against displaced communities (Dryden-Person et al., 2018). Moreover, social cohesion must be fostered among the entire school community by welcoming diversity, advocating for tolerance, ‘promoting the well-being of all members…foster[ing] belonging, [and] promot[ing] trust’ (Dryden-Person et al., 2018:13; CfBT Education Trust and IIEP-UNESCO, 2009; UNESCO, 2019; UNESCO, 2018). To ensure this, particular attention must be paid to ‘explicit and implicit messaging of norms of who belongs and who does not’ (Dryden-Person et al., 2018:13).  

To build an enabling environment, the entire school community must act as an ‘ambassador’ of diversity (BRYCS, 2018). When required, and if possible, ‘cultural liaisons’ can be put in place to ‘bridge the gap between refugee communities and the local schools’ (BRYCS, 2018: 6). This strategy has been employed in various programmes in the United States, such as the ‘Refugee Family Services School Liaison Programme in Stone Mountain, Georgia (BRYCS, 2018). Overall, school-level actions must be backed by an enabling national policy and legal framework (CfBT Education Trust and IIEP-UNESCO, 2009).  

Ensure host and displaced community members’ involvement in schools

School staff, local education authorities, host community members and displaced populations must work together to ensure the right to education of displaced children (UNHCR, 2001). Displaced community members should be encouraged to get involved in mainstream schools as it ‘facilitates the identification of community-specific education issues and strategies that are effective in addressing them’ (CfBT Education Trust and IIEP-UNESCO, 2009: 2). The host community should also take part ‘in the education response towards the inclusion of refugees in the education system and the host community’ (UNESCO, 2019: 72).  

The following aspects must be taken into consideration to ensure everyone’s participation in schools decision-making processes: 

• Empower host community members and displaced populations to play an active role in the school’s decision-making process (INEE, 2008).  
• Set up Community Education Committees.  Clarify roles and responsibilities (INEE, 2003; INEE, 2008; UNCHR, 2001; IIEP-UNESCO, 2010). Ensure elected members are representative of the entire population, particularly of internally displaced populations, refugees, and asylum-seekers. Include ‘different political, religious and ethnic groups, as well as traditional leaders, parents, teachers, and students’ (INEE, 2003: 2). 
• Support the establishment of regular and positive communication between the school head, teachers, host and displaced community members and parents, as well as involved developing partners (UNHCR, 2001).  
• Translate documents in all relevant languages and ensure the presence of interpreters in school meetings so that all displaced community members can actively participate (BRYCS, 2018). This can be done with the help of development agencies, refugee organisations, as well as displaced community members speaking the host community language (BRYCS, 2018). 
• Ensure flexible timetables so that everyone can participate in meetings and decision-making processes (BRYCS, 2018).  

• Provide transportation, whenpossible, so that displaced and host community members can attend the meetings (BRYCS, 2018).  
• Other strategies such as childcare can also be provided when possible (BRYCS, 2018). 

Other areas in which host and displaced community members can support schools

Community members can help ensure displaced children’s access and retention in schools, as well as improve their learning outcomes. For this purpose, it is key that community members understand the factors behind the non-enrolment and drop-out of displaced children, so that they can support schools and educational authorities in addresing them (UNHCR, 2001). For instance, community initiatives have been developed to ensure Syrian refugee’s access to schools, including ‘mobilization efforts, transportation for children, advocacy using radio and other forms of media, peer-to-peer mobilization, and engagement with religious leaders’ (Centre for Lebanese Studies, UNHCR and UNICEF MENA Regional Office Access, 2015: 16).  

Community members and the school staff can reflect together on how to overcome existing barriers to access and learning faced by displaced children, as well as build more inclusive education systems. Host and displaced community members can support schools in developing ‘school-level actions plans’ that ‘include clear steps to ensure learners attend classes and have the support to be active and successful participants of their own learning process’ (INEE, 2010: 36). They can also provide support to school staff and educational authorities in the following areas to ensure the right to quality education of displaced populations: 

• Develop teaching and learning materials locally (consult Policy page  Availability of teaching aids and  Textbook availability and content); 

• build and maintain accessible, secure school infrastructure (consult Policy pages  School infrastructure  and  School buildings are not ready); 
• contribute to developing an inclusive  curriculum, which takes into account cultural particularities (consult Policy page  Equity-sensitive curriculum); 
• provide transport for students living in camps or remote areas; 
• provide medical treatment and routine health check-ups; and, 
• ensure that the school is a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment (for more information consult Policy pages  School climate  and  School violence).  

Community members can also implement monitoring activities to track displaced student’s access and retention in schools, the quality of their teaching and learning processes, the maintenance and safety of schools’ infrastructure and facilities hosting them, as well as school management and finances (INEE, 2003; Centre for Lebanese Studies, UNHCR and UNICEF MENA Regional Office Access, 2015). 

Provide support and regular training to displaced communities

As expressed in the general section of the present Policy page, enhancing the community’s capacities through training is essential to create effective partnerships with the school and ensure their active participation. Training opportunities should ‘assess community capacity and identify training needs and ways to address these needs’ (IIEP-UNESCO, 2010: 127). This can include training in school management, ‘participatory management and design, prioritisation of needs, project design and implementation, financial accountability and leadership’ among others (INEE, 2003: 2).  

Training opportunities must also provide information on how the education system works and how community members and parents can get involved in schools (BRYCS, 2018). For example, UNICEF Somalia created an illustrated book for community leaders and parents ‘indicating how they can contribute to the quality of school life’ (UNHCR, 2001: 19). The German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) refugee education programme in Pakistan also developed a manual on how community mobilisation can support schooling (UNHCR, 2001). 

Design and implement awareness-raising campaigns targeting displaced populations

As explained in the general section of the present Policy page, awareness-raising campaigns are essential to help parents and community members know the reasons for and benefits of their participation in school. It is key that those campaigns focus on displaced communities’ involvement in schools as well as displaced children’s enrolment in mainstream settings. To be effective, they must be translated into pertinent languages and address any negative attitudes of displaced populations towards schooling, as those aspects have ‘a great impact on the child’s enrolment, persistence, and attainment’ (UNHCR, 2001: 93). They must also support displaced children’s enrolment in mainstream settings and dismantle any prejudices or any negative reactions from the host community. For instance, in Greece, public information events were organised with the support of parents, teachers, local authorities and ministries involved in the inclusion of refugees in schools to ‘avoid negative reactions against the participation of refugee children in the Greek educational system’ (Greece, 2017: 79).  

Educational authorities and school staff should also be provided with training on community involvement and cultural awareness (MALDEF and NEA, 2010). As expressed by MALDEF and NEA school boards must be encouraged ‘to adopt a policy that requires all teachers and administrators to have at least one unit/course of learning on parent engagement with an emphasis on cultural, linguistic, immigration, and ethnic issues.,… community engagement, ethnic minority involvement, cultural awareness, relationship building skills, and racial/social justice parent engagement learning models’ (MALDEF and NEA, 2010: 40). 

Policies for minority populations

A wide multitude of research has put into evidence the positive impact that community’s and family’s engagement in schools has on student’s enrolment, retention, learning and welfare (Backer et al. 1997; Edwards and Warin 1999; Senechal and LeFevre 2002, as cited in Flecha, 2015). This impact is even higher when it comes to minority students (Boscardin and Jacobson 1996; Beckman et al. 1998; Aubert and Valls 2003; Gómez and Vargas 2003; Driessen et al. 2005; Ringold et al. 2005, as cited in Flecha, 2015). It is therefore essential for schools –to which minority students attend– to foster positive relationships with the respective communities and family members. The following strategies can be implemented for that purpose, in complement to the ones mentioned in the general section of the present Policy page, as well as the gender-responsive section and the one for children with disabilities.   

Promising policy options

Foster minority populations’ involvement in educational decision-making processes

To ensure the right to education of minority populations there must be adequate communication between educational authorities and school stakeholders with targeted communities –or their representatives (The World Bank, 2019; United Nations Human Rights Council, 2009). Moreover, consultations and involvement of minority groups must be ensured from the onset and throughout any official educational project targeting them. This is not always the case, indeed, a Special Rapporteur for the United Nations Human Rights Council highlighted that a key challenge raised by indigenous peoples regarding their right to education was: ‘the lack of consultation on the development and implementation of educational services provided to’ them (United Nations Human Rights Council, 2009: 19).  

Depending on the context, ad-hoc consultations may be necessary at first. Normally, ‘government and international agencies arrange for consultations with indigenous leaders and communities in the locations where they plan to implement school infrastructure, education and other projects’ (ADB, 2011: 35).  This can be done in different manners. For example, in Bangladesh, the ‘Indigenous Peoples Network Forum’ has been organised to discuss issues regarding indigenous peoples (ADB, 2011).  

In the long-term, however, it is key to move from ad-hoc consultations towards systematised, institutionalised, consultation processes to ensure shared-decision making processes (ADB, 2011). Indeed, the UN Human Rights Council highlights that ‘shared-decision making and involvement of community leaders and parents is critical to the successful implementation of indigenous peoples’ [and other minorities’] right to education’ (2009: 19). To ensure this, consultative bodies or ‘special task forces’ representative of indigenous peoples and other minority populations can be set up (ADB, 2011: 35). For instance, in the Australian Capital Territory, an Indigenous Education Consultative Body was formed to support an Indigenous Education Programme (ADB, 2011). That body, composed of representatives of indigenous communities and parents, provided support and advised educational officials throughout the implementation of the educational programme (ADB, 2011).  

At the macro-level, as explained in the general section of the present Policy page, the participation of communities in school must be supported by the government through specific legislation, decrees, policies, procedures, and guidelines. It is key that those documents adequately target minority’s participation in schools (MALDEF and NEA, 2010). For this purpose, it is essential that central and local levels ‘review, assess, and revise parent involvement and engagement policies annually to ensure that issues of poverty, limited English proficiency… and varying cultural expectation barriers among different ethnicities are addressed’ (MALDEF and NEA, 2010: 39). It is also essential to provide sufficient funds to schools to ensure community’s participation (MALDEF and NEA, 2010).  

At the micro-level, it is key to guarantee that formal decision-making organisations, such as school management committees (SMC) and Parent and Teachers Associations (PTA), adequately integrate, encourage, and consider minorities’ points of view (ADB, 2011). The organisation’s culture should be one in which ‘all voices will be considered, and all committee members are equally important’ (Flecha, 2015: 56). Fostering diversity is key not only for all educational processes, but also to address discrimination and prejudice, and promote social cohesion within the community (Flecha, 2015).   

The following recommendations must be considered to ensure minority’s population engagement in the decision-making processes: 

• Flexible timetables must be provided to ensure everyone’s participation in meetings and the decision-making processes (Flecha, 2015).  
• Translation must be provided when necessary to ‘ensure that minority groups are also represented and can participate equally’ (Flecha, 2015: 58). For instance, in Finland minority families are engaged in ‘Parents’ evenings’, a space for school decision-making processes, in which various interpreters are present (Flecha, 2015). Community members can also be encouraged to act as interpreters (MALDEF and NEA, 2010). 

Foster minority populations’ involvement in school’s teaching and learning processes

Minority parents and community’s involvement in teaching and learning processes have been found beneficial for three main aspects: they can increase student’s learning achievements, they can help address prejudices and discrimination and foster social cohesion, and they can support the inclusion of traditional ways of teaching and learning within schools (Darling-Hammond and Cook-Harvey, 2018; Flecha, 2015; MALDEF and NEA, 2010; United Nations Human Rights Council, 2009).  

Research findings show that parental and community’s involvement in students’ learning processes lead to improved learning outcomes (Darling-Hammond and Cook-Harvey, 2018; Flecha, 2015; MALDEF and NEA, 2010). Indeed, case studies, particularly those of the United Kingdom and Spain, included in Flecha’s book, showed how parental involvement in children’s learning process led to ‘the improved acquisition of the basic competencies included in the curriculum but also in positive effects on other aspects, such as reduced absenteeism and increased enrolment’ (2015: 54).  

In addition to improving learning achievements, parental and community’s participation in classrooms is an effective strategy to welcome diversity, and ‘overcome cultural and gender stereotypes’ (Christou and Puigvert, 2011, as cited in Flecha, 2015: 50). Thus, community involvement in schools can support the creation of an inclusive, culturally responsive climate, as well as foster social cohesion (Flecha, 2015).  

Another benefit of including minorities in schools is that they can support the integration of traditional ways of teaching into mainstream institutions. Traditional leaders, minority community elders and minority families can be encouraged to come to school to teach students their traditional ways of teaching and learning, which is particularly relevant aspect for indigenous communities (United Nations Human Rights Council, 2009). Such processes can also be supported by community’s learning centres –when they exist (United Nations Human Rights Council, 2009). For instance, in the Philippines, the Talaandig School of Living Tradition and in Malaysia Community Learning Centres propagate traditional ways of learning within the communities (United Nations Human Rights Council, 2009).  

Other areas in which minority’s populations can support schools

In addition to being involved in decision-making processes and teaching and learning processes, minority populations can also get involved in aspects such as: 

• Developing curriculum, teaching and learning materials (TLM), and teaching aids. Minority communities’ help can be particularly relevant in verifying their quality as well as ensuring adequate translations (Council of Europe, 2020; Flecha, 2015).  

• Ensuring safe, free of violence, welcoming, inclusive school environments (UNICEF and Religions for Peace, 2011).  
• Protecting students and accompanying them in case of long walking distances to school.  
• Supporting the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of adequate, inclusive and gender-responsive school infrastructure, facilities, and furniture (ADB, 2011; United Nations Human Rights Council, 2009).  

Provide support and regular training to minority communities

As expressed in the general section of the present Policy page, enhancing the community’s capacities through training is essential to create effective partnerships between the school and the community. Training opportunities should include strategies to ensure minority populations’ active participation within school committees. For instance, a work done by the University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School with cast and minority parents from Northern Karnataka, India, found that minorities in schools were only passive members in committees (University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School, 2018). To ensure their active participation, they developed a training programme to ‘empower people to engage with education’ and equip them ‘with the skills to assert themselves when there are more powerful people present’ (University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School, 2018: 1).  Training opportunities should also be provided to teach them how to monitor education programmes, as well as on their rights and responsibilities (MALDEF and NEA, 2010).  

Educational authorities and school staff should also be provided with training on community involvement and cultural awareness (MALDEF and NEA, 2010). As expressed by MALDEF and NEA school boards must be encouraged ‘to adopt a policy that requires all teachers and administrators to have at least one unit/course of learning on parent engagement with an emphasis on cultural, linguistic, immigration, and ethnic issues.,… community engagement, ethnic minority involvement, cultural awareness, relationship building skills, and racial/social justice parent engagement learning models’ (MALDEF and NEA, 2010: 40). Overall, school-level actions must be backed by an enabling national policy and legal framework (CfBT Education Trust and IIEP-UNESCO, 2009). 

Design and implement awareness-raising campaigns targeting minority populations

As explained in the general section of the present Policy page, awareness-raising campaigns should be developed to help parents and community members know the reasons for and benefits of their participation in school. It is key that those campaigns tackle minority populations and are translated into all relevant languages (MALDEF and NEA, 2010).  

*For more information about awareness-raising campaigns consult the general section of the present Policy page.