Extent of Implementation of School-Community Partnership in East Five Cluster, Division of Calamba City: An Input to School Improvement Plan

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

As the curriculum changes together with the demand of the 21st Century learners, the needs of the learners also increase. The Department of Education, as a public institution, cannot solely support these demands even with the help of the local government. As the needs arise, the school has to find their own partner to support the programs intended for the learners, the school-community partnership. However, there is a difficulty in finding stakeholders that will support the needs of the learners.

The East Five cluster has six (6) elementary schools located in an urban area wherein business and opportunities are numerous. Businesses are strategically located around East Five. That means there are bigger possibilities to invite stakeholders that will cater to the needs of the learners for learning to take place and to meet the demands of the 21st Century learners.

METHODS

This study used a descriptive research design. The researcher used the survey method. The participants were the teachers of the six (6) elementary schools in East Five cluster. The data gathered from the participants were treated confidentially.

RESULTS

The status of extent of implementation of school-community partnership in terms of parenting attained a composite general mean of 3.82. Communicating recorded a general mean of 4.36. A general mean of 4.09 was recorded for learning at home. Volunteering recorded a general mean of 3.87. Decision-making with a general mean of 4.06 was noted. A general mean of 3.82 for collaborating with the community was also noted. The mutual benefits of the partnership included improved educational quality for students and improved community goodwill.

DISCUSSIONS

School stakeholders not only helped identify potential partners but were also often served as members of an Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) that worked alongside these prospective community partners to develop relationships, share school needs, and explore the possibility of establishing a new school-community partnership (Epstein et al., 2011). The findings of the study were highly evidence-based on Epstein's Six Types of Involvement: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community. Although the main findings were highly evident, the challenge of this research is the consistency of the stakeholders to allot the same time and resources provided from the previous partnership. The researcher recommends future research to find out how stakeholders can sustain the partnership.