Community Involvement In Education Research Articles

RELEVANCE OF AHMAD DAHLAN'S CONCEPT OF RENEWING ISLAMIC EDUCATION TO TODAY'S EDUCATION

This study investigates the relationship between the philosophical works of KH Ahmad Dahlan and modern Islamic education. This research focuses on this question and the problems facing the modern Islamic education system, which is characterized by the need to integrate traditional Islamic teachings with contemporary educational demands. This research also examines how Dahlan's thinking can help bridge these problems. This paper interprets Dahlan's educational philosophy through analysis of historical texts and modern educational theory. This is done using a qualitative methodological approach. These results indicate that Dahlan's emphasis on critical thinking, rationality, and community involvement in education is in accordance with current educational needs. This study concludes that Dahlan's approach offers an important perspective on curriculum development and pedagogical strategies that are rooted in Islamic traditions and adapt to the needs of modern society. In a broader context, this research emphasizes the possibility of change in Islamic education that considers the spiritual and practical aspects of modern education.

PARENT AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION: STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS FOR SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT

Parent and community involvement in education has garnered significant attention as a pivotal factor in enhancing educational outcomes and fostering social improvement. This review explores the multifaceted dynamics of such partnerships and their potential to positively impact the educational landscape. Through collaborative efforts between parents, communities, and educational institutions, a holistic approach towards addressing the diverse needs of students and society at large is promoted. Effective parent involvement encompasses various dimensions, including parental engagement in their children's academic journey, participation in school activities, and advocacy for educational equity. When parents are actively involved in their children's education, students tend to exhibit higher academic performance, improved attendance, and enhanced social-emotional development. Moreover, parental involvement cultivates a supportive home environment conducive to learning, thereby reinforcing the educational efforts undertaken in schools. Community engagement in education extends beyond parental involvement to encompass broader societal participation in educational endeavors. Local communities play a crucial role in supplementing educational resources, providing mentorship opportunities, and facilitating experiential learning initiatives. Collaborative partnerships between schools and communities enrich the educational experience by bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world application, thereby nurturing well-rounded individuals equipped with the skills necessary for societal contribution. Furthermore, fostering strong partnerships between schools, parents, and communities serves as a catalyst for social improvement. By promoting inclusivity, diversity, and mutual respect, these partnerships contribute to the creation of cohesive and resilient communities. Through collective action, stakeholders can address systemic challenges, advocate for educational reforms, and promote equitable access to quality education for all individuals, irrespective of their socio-economic backgrounds. Parent and community involvement in education represents a cornerstone for social improvement, fostering collaborative efforts aimed at nurturing the next generation of global citizens equipped to navigate an ever-evolving world.
 Keywords: Education, Parent, Community Involvement, Partnership, Social Improvement, Review.

Role of Community Resources in Education Planning and Delivery in Ghana

Abstract Introduction: This study explored the involvement of community resources in education planning and delivery in Ghana. It focused on how the involvement of community resources have had an impact on educational planning and development in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Methods: A qualitative method was used, and data collected through structured interview from fifteen participants of parents, teachers, and education officers. The participants were selected by using purposive sampling technique. The data were analysed qualitatively as per the themes that emerged. Results: The findings indicated that communities contribute to the development of effective educational policies by providing insights and perspectives through various channels, such as community forums, advisory committees, and public hearings. Also, communities celebrate and embrace cultural diversity, fostering inclusivity within educational settings. Discussion: To maximize community involvement in education, it is essential to establish collaborative partnerships with community organizations, PTA, SMC, businesses, and institutions. Community organizations, businesses, and institutions can provide a wide range of resources, such as funding, expertise, facilities, and educational materials. These resources can greatly benefit schools and students, improving the quality of education. Limitations: With just 15 participants, it may be challenging to generalize the findings to the entire population of Ghana, or even a specific region. The small sample size may not adequately represent the diversity of experiences and perspectives within the country. Conclusions: It was recommended that there was a need to establish of strong partnerships between schools, parents, community leaders, and local organizations by the Ghana Education Service is crucial to promote collaboration and shared responsibility in education planning and delivery.

“Empowering Students through Indigenous Knowledge: Benefits of Indigenizing Mathematics Education in Southern Province, Zambia”

This study explores the benefits of indigenizing mathematics education in Southern Province, Zambia, by integrating indigenous knowledge into the mathematics curriculum. The research aims to assess the impact of this approach on student empowerment, engagement, and academic performance. Employing a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, the study combines quantitative data from structured questionnaires administered to 55 mathematics teachers and 271 students with qualitative data from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions involving 15 teachers, 10 parents, 6 school administrators, and 1 educational official. Findings indicate that indigenized mathematics education significantly enhances student engagement, comprehension, and academic performance. It also fosters a sense of pride and cultural identity among students, strengthens school-community relationships, and promotes community involvement in education. Despite these positive outcomes, challenges such as the need for professional development, adequate resources, and institutional support were identified. This research underscores the importance of culturally relevant pedagogy and provides practical recommendations for policymakers, educators, and curriculum developers to make mathematics education more inclusive and effective. The study contributes to the academic discourse on culturally responsive teaching and highlights the potential of indigenized education to promote educational equity and excellence in Southern Province, Zambia.

Indonesian parental perspectives of international school partnerships involving millennial learners

Despite being long-standing practice among schools across the world, most studies on international school partnerships focus on its benefits and challenges as perceived by teachers and students. Little emphasis has been given to parental perspectives and support, particularly among low-income families. With the increase of community involvement in education, how this partnership program may benefit the foreign language learning of millennials has become a matter of increasing concern among parents. This qualitative study explores Indonesian parents’ perspectives of international school partnerships between Indonesian and Australian schools, and how these partnerships support the learning of English as a foreign language and technology utilization. Results from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews indicate parental belief that the program reviewed is an authentic approach to foreign language learning and an appropriate mode of technology-based self-expression. To facilitate their children’s learning of English and development of cross-cultural understanding, most parents, despite economic limitations, are willing to support their children’s involvement in the international partnership that is the focus of this study.

Speculative Fictions and Curricular Futures: Envisioning Rural Educational Utopia

Situated within the local context of New Brunswick—a small, mostly rural, Canadian province with an aging population and a steady influx of new residents from other countries—this article speculates new curricular possibilities beyond the post-industrial and neoliberal structures of current curriculum and schooling. The authors approach their speculation creatively through a collectively-authored narrative meant to engage the idea of educational utopia within their shared place. In a subsequent discussion of the narrative, the authors reflect on the global phenomenon of neoliberal ideological intrusion into curriculum as manifest in New Brunswick, as well as the myriad forms that intrusion can take. Specifically, the authors discuss: the continued modeling of the school system on adult work, the rigid control of time and the dangers of flexibility in schooling, the desire to expand concepts of community involvement in education, and the urgent necessity of racial equity work in rural spaces. In concluding their discussion, the authors highlight the potential of dreaming new curricular possibilities to disrupt the status quo of education locally and globally.

Aiming for transitional justice? Diaspora mobilisation for youth and education in Bosnia and Herzegovina

ABSTRACTEducation is acknowledged as a component of transitional justice processes, yet details about how to implement education reform in postconflict societies are underexplored and politicized [King, Elisabeth. 2014. From Classrooms to Conflict in Rwanda. New York: Cambridge University Press]. Local and international actors often neglect the complicated nature of education reform in postconflict societies undergoing transitional justice processes [Jones, Briony. 2015. "Educating Citizens in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Experiences and Contradictions in Post-war Education Reform." In Transitional Justice and Reconciliation: Lessons from the Balkans, edited by Martina Fischer, and Olivera Simic, 193–208. New York: Routledge. Transitional Justice]. The role of the diaspora in transitional justice has been increasingly explored as a participatory transnational actor with influence and knowledge about local dynamics [Roht-Arriaza, Naomi. 2006. The Pinochet Effect: Transnational Justice in the Age of Human Rights. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press; Haider, Huma. 2008. “(Re)Imagining Coexistence: Striving for Sustainable Return, Reintegration and Reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ”International Journal of Transitional Justice 3 (1): 91–113; Young, Laura, and Rosalyn Park. 2009.“ Engaging Diasporas in Truth Commissions: Lessons from the Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission Diaspora Project.” International Journal of Transitional Justice 3 (3): 341–361; Koinova, Maria, and Dženeta Karabegović. 2017.“ Diasporas and Transitional Justice: Transnational Activism from Local to Global Levels of Engagement.” Global Networks 17 (2): 212–233]. This article bridges academic literature about diaspora engagement and transitional justice, and education and transitional justice by incorporating the role of diaspora actors in post-conflict processes. Using empirical data from multi-sited field work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and France, it examines diaspora initiatives which aim to influence local transitional justice processes through translocal community involvement in education and youth policy. It argues that diaspora initiatives can provide alternative and intermediate solutions to the status quo in their homeland, with some potential for contributing to transitional justice and reconciliation processes. Ultimately, diaspora initiatives need support from homeland institutions in order to forward transitional justice agendas in post-conflict societies.

The Social Reconstructionist Approach to Teacher Education: A Necessary Component to Achieving Excellence and Quality Education for all

Improving all aspects of the quality of education is dependent on preparing teachers to become critical citizens. The social reconstructionist approach to teacher education is essential to transforming an education system defined by inequity, issues of quality, and issues of access. How do pre-service teachers perceive the mission of quality education for all in Jamaica? The findings reported in this article form part of a small scale qualitative exploratory study aimed at understanding what impacts quality education for all in Jamaica? The findings show pre-service teachers' viewed quality education for all as being impacted by a lack of quality teachers, a weak national economy, a lack of parental and community involvement in education, limited resources, and inadequate and poor physical infrastructure. On this basis, the article argues for a social reconstructionist approach to be incorporated into existing and future teacher training programmes as teachers and teacher educators are key components to improving quality education for all.

Community Involvement in Education for Performance Improvement in Primary Schools in Aroi Sub County, Arua District, Uganda: Achievements, Challenges, and the Way forward

Community Involvement in Education for Performance Improvement in Primary Schools in Aroi Sub County, Arua District, Uganda: Achievements, Challenges, and the Way forward

The impact of the social capital on the schools' general success

It is a critical commonplace that many schools in developing countries are failing for a number of reasons. Lack of physical and human resources are some of the cited problems in historically disadvantaged schools in South Africa. Social scientists such as Coleman, Dasguta and Bourdieu have investigated the concept of social capital and its propinquity to efficiency and progress of various societal institutions. Among other things, social capital in education refers to the building of social networks and the involvement of communities in educational institutions. When we talk of social capital in schools, we are more interested in the manner in which communities can influence schools. The article looks at whether social capital is a public good and how other societal factors shape it. Studies by Fukuyama (1995) and Putnam (1993) have argued that trust or social capital determines the performance of institutions in the society. Many studies have also shown that community involvement in education is crucial...

Voices of Tribal Parents and Caregivers of Children with Special Needs

Educational reform presents a number of challenges for elders, tribal educational leaders, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) teachers and administrators, and families across the United States, including the pressing need to address parent or caregiver and community involvement in education. This study was conducted to (a) summarize major factors that impact special education service delivery for AI/AN children and young adults, (b) highlight legal and ethical issues by sharing six AI/AN parents' and caregivers' personal stories, and (c) discuss the implications of the issues raised for service delivery, policy development, and research. Qualitative methods were chosen to obtain an in-depth knowledge of individual participants' experiences, thoughts, and recommendations regarding serving AI/AN children with disabilities. Ethnographic interviews were conducted and several themes emerged from the data including AI/AN parents' and caregivers' responses regarding professional development, information sharing, assessments, individualized education program and individual family service plan implementation, and cultural concerns. The implications of shared individual issues within each theme are discussed.

Connecting Schools and Community Through Service Learning

Schools are facing major problems today that are only marginally addressed by most reform initiatives or by standards-based federal and state legislation. New and different strategies are required if schools are to adequately serve their students and communities. This article demonstrates that service-learning is one dynamic way to promote school success because it increases family and community involvement in education, develops adult mentors, makes the curriculum relevant, reduces student feelings of alienation and isolation, and builds an ethic of service.

Empowerment or Impairment? Involving Traditional Communities in School Management

Community involvement in education has been viewed as a – by no means uncontroversial – means for enabling local members to deepen their participation in the decision-making relevant to their schools by playing a constructive role in the process. On the basis of a study carried out in Ghana, the present contribution to this discussion examines various matters involved in delegating the management of an Alternative Primary Education program to two traditional communities in the north of that country. It also explores how community members, school authorities, the sponsoring non-governmental organization and members of the local management committee themselves perceive such an approach to school management. Issues raised include whether inexperienced and even illiterate local citizens should be allowed to manage their schools, the conflicts which such management often entails and, finally, in what ways it might be beneficially promoted.

Gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid ter bevordering van onderwys in skole

Community involvement in the promotion of education in schools. Community involvement in education is an issue that has gained greater momentum in recent decades and is regarded as a big asset in promoting education in schools. It ranks very high on the South African education agenda, as is clearly illustrated by the prominence it is given in the media. The modern school in the new South Africa finds itself in an educational milieu characterized by rapid changes. It is clear that schools are facing major challenges and can no longer handle the education of learners without the support of the wider community. In the light of the school's need for support from the community, this research was undertaken with the primary aim of determining the perceptions of role players from the community regarding their involvement in the school. A quantitative research method was applied in the investigation and only an experimental investigation group was involved in the random sample, comprising 446 respondents (teachers, learners, and community members). The research results were analysed statistically by computer and thereafter interpreted. On the basis of these interpretations conclusions could be drawn. A global perspective indicates that community involvement in schools is considered extremely important, but that it is not taking place satisfactorily at the moment. It was furthermore possible to refine the global perspective on community involvement in schools into a more differentiated picture, indicating clearly which facets of involvement should receive attention and be improved. Recommendations can therefore be made for meaningful, innovative and accountable community involvement in the promotion of education in schools. (South African Journal of Education: 2001 21(4): 280-286)

Developing Aboriginal Community Involvement in Education

Most Aboriginal communities in Australia have been provided with government schools, built, staffed and organized by government departments. As with mission schools, the motivation for schooling has largely come from outside the community itself, though often with tacit community support. Although formal ‘Western’ schooling fits uncomfortably with the values of a hunter-gatherer society, in most cases schools have adapted very little to the special environment of an Aboriginal community. Not surprisingly, both achievement and attendance are often poor. Attempts to vary programs, as in bilingual education, and to augment the staff of these schools with Aboriginal teacher aides (teaching assistants), have not altered this situation greatly, though this does not negate the worth of these initiatives.One of the many possible reasons for this predicament is the lack of community control over what happens in its school. In many cases this is almost absolute, duplicating the lack of control over land, law, health services and many other aspects of life. For this reason, schools have been seen by some authors as one of the more direct agents of cultural change, acting to assimilate Aboriginal people into white society with a community that functions as a ‘total’ institution. The natural resistance of Aboriginal people to this process is likely to have profound implications for Aboriginal community schools.

Community Schooling: the rhetoric and the reality of community involvement in English education

ABSTRACT Since the mid‐1960s there has been a steady, although sometimes haphazard, growth of interest in greater community involvement in education. In England this interest can be seen in two discernible trends: the development of community schools#shcolleges with supposedly strong links with a local community, and a growing concern for the need for accountability within education and hence the need for greater parental and community involvement in the running ofall schools. Several government reports have boosted these developments. This paper seeks to discuss these trends. It looks at what is meant by community and possible levels of community involvement. It then seeks to show from a small piece of empirical research and investigation that the reality of community involvement in the running of community institutions at least is largely little more than rhetoric.

Old‐timer/newcomer attitudes regarding community involvement in rural education

Abstract Some suggest differences between old‐timers and newcomers in rural districts have impeded attempts to increase citizen involvement in rural education. In this study, discriminant multivariate analyses revealed significant differences in the general attitudes of old‐timers and newcomers with respect to local education and community involvement in education. One factor which maximally discriminated between old‐timers and newcomers was found to replicate across districts. Findings suggest the old‐timer/newcomer distinction cannot be wholly explained in terms of conventional demographic indicators. So this distinction, in itself, can be a useful tool in studying the community dynamics of rural education and rural community development.

Paradise Lost and Regained. Educational policy in Melanesia

Some analysts of Third World education bemoan the nineteenth century intrusion of the western, mission school upon a Utopian traditional context. At best the missionising impulse of the Christian church was misguided; at worst it was vicious in the cultural damage done in the name of God. So goes a modem criticism. However, the twentieth century is witnessing a latter day cultural imposition just as high-minded as the earlier one and just as culturally disruptive. Educational policy is to be directed towards the renaissance of traditional Third World man; that which was lost through schooling is to be regained through schooling. The dysfunctionalism of such policy is the outcome of administrative misperception which reckons it to be enculturative whereas it is as acculturative as the mission school when it first arrived. The traditionalist educational policy is acculturative, simply because the past is not the present, and present local values are significantly different from past, traditional ones. Enculturative educational policy transmits that which is newly present as well as the enduring elements of a cultural heritage. Traditionalist educational policy is acculturative because it ignores new knowledge, new aspirations, new attitudes to school-all of which have evolved from the assimilation and accommodation which patterned the dynamics of the traditional-colonial confrontation. Furthermore, traditionalist educational policy is inappropriate for a present, local context to the extent that it disregards the transmission of new knowledge and values. Of concern here are traditionalist educational policies encapsulated in contemporary Development Plans of some Melanesian island-nations (see Fig. 1). The theme underlying analysis of these Plans is that policy should be analysed and assessed in terms of its appropriateness for a present, local context, not for a past, traditional context. For example, if the educational policy is intended to be enculturative rather than acculturative, and if parents are generally in favour of academic curricula leading to formal examinations - this being the model of school assimilated by Melanesian parents - then the appropriate educational policy maintains such curricula and such formal examinations. If this is indeed the situation, then a Department of Education is misguided if it endorses the current western slogan of community involvement in education and, in the name of this panacea, proposes curricula orientated towards a rural, subsistence life, instruction in the vernacular, and shifts control of secondary school selection to village laymen. In fact the traditionalist value-orientation running through such policies is acculturative rather than enculturative. It must be reckoned something of a latter-day imposition when educational policy seeks to provide schools with a rural, vernacular traditional orientation for parents and children who aspire to membership of the urban cash economy of the modernising sector.

Community Involvement in Education and Teacher Education: A Preview and Bibliography

Community Involvement in Education and Teacher Education: A Preview and Bibliography

Community Involvement in Aboriginal Schools

The following paper is based on experiences gained in schools in North East Arnhem Land. While it is likely that the situations as described are applicable to other areas, the authors do not claim that there will always be direct comparisons. Too often the wider Australian community regards Aboriginals as one people with one set of common needs whereas even limited experience soon reveals a great diversity amongst these people in terms of language, customs and environment and consequently a great diversity of needs and necessary solutions.In schools throughout Australia the desirability of and need for community involvement become more apparent every day. To quote the Karmel report Schools in Australia,“After almost one hundred years of public schooling a reappraisal of the relationship of the school to the wider society is taking place in Australia, as it is in most industrialized nations. The isolation of schools is being questioned as is also the idea that education should be confined to formal institutions and concentrated heavily upon those who have not yet entered employment.”We have now reached the stage where the desirability of community involvement in education can be taken by most as a self evident truth and we can look”back in wonder at the times when such an idea was radical or not even considered.In Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory the opportunities for involving the community in the school are probably greater than in the wider Australian society. For example, the families are easy to contact, they are generally open to suggestion and they do not have preconceived notions as to the “proper” way in which a school should be run. However, too often we have taken community involvement to mean the fund raising activities of Parents’ Committees and left the real problems of initiating genuine involvement well alone. (The activities of the School Council at Hermannsburg are a notable exception; there may be others).