I. COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course offers exposure to the field of school and community relations as a part of the preparatory program for educational administration. It will emphasize public relations methods (technically), examine issues of concern (ethically) to communities including, the multicultural quality of the community, analyze the workings of school boards and generally explore the political process that is the reality of school community relations.

Knowledge of both schools and communities is a prerequisite for understanding school community relations. With this in mind, the course will look at the historical roots of the American school and community, as well as, contemporary schools and the image they project to the community.

Finally the course explores the use of community resources in instruction and provide the student with concrete experiences in planning school community relations programs.
 

II. ORGANIZATION OF COURSE

A. CONTENT

The work of the course will be organized around the following major sub-topics:

Public Character of the School
Understanding the Community
Communication Process
Goals and Strategies
Working with Students
Working with Parents
Relations with Employees
Community Groups
Special Events
Conducting Campaigns
Evaluation

1. Having completed the requirements of the course the student should be able to:
2. Analyze and reflect on the characters of contemporary schools
3. Analyze and reflect on the historical aspects of American schools
4. Identify some past and present influences on American education
5. Analyze and identify the needs of a given school community
6. Expound on the multi-directional nature of communication
7. State ways the media impacts the educational enterprise
8. Write goals for and identify strategies to be used in developing a school community relations program
9. Note the need for program evaluation and delineates ways of evaluating a community relations program

This course will be conducted on in-class/independent basis. The in-class portion will be conducted largely on a lecture, discussion and class participation basis. Independent work will be done on projects and tasks as assigned. One or more of the following techniques may be used from time-to-time when, in the judgment of the instructor, they are deemed appropriate:

1. Use of audio-visual materials
2. Individual and group reports
3. Role playing, panel discussions, debates, etc.
4. Use of resource persons
5. Field trips, observations or attendance at special programs
6. Simulations

1. Required Text:
Bagin, Don, et al. The School & Community Relations. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1994.
2. Reserved Books
Dapper, Gloria. 1964. Public Relations for Educators, New York: Collier-Macmillan Publishers.

Hilldrup, Robert. 1982. Improving School Public Relations. Allyn and Bacon, Inc.

Kindred, Leslie W. 1960. How to Tell the School Story. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Kindred, Leslie W. 1957. School Public Relations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Losen, Stuart M. & Diament, Bert. 1978. Parent Conferences in the Schools. Allyn and Bacon, Inc.

Melby, Ernest O. et al. 1969. Role of the School in Community Education. Pendell Publishing Company.

National Public Relations Association. 1978. Building Public Confidence for Your Schools. Arlington, VA.

101 Public Relations Activities for Schools. 1976. Interstate Printers & Publishers, Inc.

1. Develop a comprehensive school community relations program for your school. During the individual conferences scheduled for July 27, 1995, each student will be requested to give a progress report on this program. Final Project DUE: August 3, 1995.

2. Read 10 articles on some aspect of school and community relations. Develop type-written abstracts of the articles on 4X6 cards. Article are to be from prominent journals and periodicals from 1985 to present. Topics and Bibliography should be at the top of the card. Student's name should be on the back of each card. Due: July 27, 1995.

3. All persons must be present and participate in class discussions.

Note: Grades will be reduced for misspelling, poor grammar and poor content. This applies to all written assignments.

6/27 Introduction
The Meaning of School Community Relations

6/29 School Character Analysis (Chapter 2)
Understanding the Community (Chapter 3)

7/4 NO CLASS - INDEPENDENCE DAY

7/6 School Administration and Public Relations (Chapter 5)

7/11 Schools and Strategies (Chapter 4)

7/13 Internal and External Communications (Chapter 6,7 & 8)

7/18 Using the Media (Chapter 11 & 12)
School Publications (Chapter 13)

7/20 School Campaigns (Chapter 14)
Special Events (Chapter 9)

7/25 INDEPENDENT WORK

7/27 INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES ARRANGED

8/1 INDEPENDENT WORK

8/3 CLASS MEETS - ORAL REPORTING ON PROGRESS

8/8 INDEPENDENT WORK - REVISIONS

8/10 INDEPENDENT WORK - REVISIONS

8/15 INDEPENDENT WORK- REVISIONS

8/17 INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES - ARRANGED

The instructor assumes the maturity of the students in the class will cause them to proceed independently through the text and the specific background reading list in the references. The sections of Reserved Books that pertain to the topic under consideration should be read concurrently with that topic. From time-to-time, the instructor will indicate specific references in class and students will be expected to read them. It should be noted, however, that the instructor will not build his lectures around any specific text or set of materials. Class members will be responsible for taking notes on class lectures and other presentations.

Grades will be determined via the following factors:

1. Class assignments and projects
2. Class presentations
3. Instructor's Appraisal - Based upon participation, attitude, attendance, professional growth, and level of responsibility.