The most exciting aspect of the School Family Community Partnership (SFCP) is that it has a fairly large academic base behind it. In a sense, it is a large theoretical framework of how to empower students, derived from Joyce Epstein, a professor at John Hopkins University. Her influential book School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action consists of a great variety of different techniques that are academically justified (Epstein et al., 2018). Such attention to community programs’ content significantly reduces the possibility of inefficient activity.
Another great idea that resonated with me is the One School, One Book program. The main idea is that all students in the school read the same book simultaneously and then create workshops and activities inspired by it (Ellsworth Elementary School, 2022). The main task of such a program is to unite and acquaint previously unfamiliar students and give them a sense of community and responsibility for each other. This technique of creating common memory through common activities may be extrapolated to entire nations, so it shows the great meaning of the program.
Finally, International Night is another interesting event spreading important community messages. Its meaning is to show the great multicultural power embodied in every school member. The key intention was to show that every culture, regardless of its size or level of development, constitutes an important element of world culture (Chandrasekar, 2019). The values of multiculturalism, tolerance, and social justice have integral importance in the era of spreading authoritarianism and xenophobia. Thus, SFCP is doing a brilliant job of creating a positive community life.
References
Chandrasekar, P. (2019). The multicultural club brings central its first international night.Central Times. Web.
Ellsworth Elementary School. (2022). One school, one book. Web.
Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Sheldon, S. B., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jansorn, N. R., VanVoorhis, F.L., Martin, C. S., Thomas, B. G., Greenfield, M. D., Hutchins, D. J., & Williams, K. J. (2018). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action. Corwin Press.