School-Community Partnership

• Partnership involves mutual aid and benefits for both schools and communities.

What Communities Can Do for Schools

• Brigada Eskwela: Stakeholders contribute time and resources to prepare schools before opening, typically two weeks before classes begin in June. This school maintenance program was institutionalized in 2009 with DepEd Order No. 100.
• Curriculum Development: Utilizing community resources like museums or elders as key informants for local history research.
• Work Experience Program: Businesses and offices offer training for Senior High School students to develop competencies, work ethics, and values for further education or employment.
• Partner offices provide opportunities for students to familiarize themselves with the workplace, simulate employment, and apply their skills in authentic environments, according to DepEd Order No. 30.3.2017.
• Remediation and enrichment classes: Parents and retired teachers can participate in School Reading remediation and Learning Enrichment Programs.
• Youth Development Programs: Youth can participate in programs that develop their skills and talents, teaching them how to interact with peers and adults while serving as community resources.
• Community Service: Students can participate in activities like tutoring, reforestation, river clean-ups, medical mission assistance, local celebration planning, and school band performances.

What Schools Can Do for Communities

• Schools can allow communities to use their resources, as outlined in the DepEd Primer on School-Community Partnership:
• Classrooms are available for community meetings.
• Schools serve as polling places and medical mission venues, co-sponsored with Rural Health units.
• Rural Health units can use schools for mother's classes on childcare.
• Schools function as evacuation centers.
• School facilities are used for community assemblies.
• School basketball courts host local celebrations and barangay sports leagues.
• Schools conduct livelihood skills-training for parents and out-of-school youth.
• Teachers offer livelihood skills-training for parents and out-of-school youth.

Examples of School and Community Partnerships

• Dumingaga Central School (Dumingag, Zamboanga Del Sur): Maintained a feeding program through community donors, the Mother Bulter Mission Guild, barangay councils, the mayor's office, and parents who managed resources.
• "Kiddie Cop" classes feature lectures on manners, conduct, drug addiction, child abuse, and welfare by cops.
• The Municipal Health Office provides classes on health, nutrition, and children's rights.
• Pembo Elementary School, Makati (Angel magic Spot and Project REAXCH): Pembo Angels Magic Spot (PAMS) were volunteer environmental stewards. Small dumpsites or empty lots were converted into vegetable gardens by students.
• The vegetables harvested supply program or are sold to buy seedlings.
• PAMS: Brought together students, teachers, school heads, parents barangay officials and other members of the community clean up little nooks for garbage and converted them into green areas with vegetables shared by all.
• REACH (Revitalized Enthusiasm for Assistance for Children of Humanity): Where each teacher adopted one student and acted as his/her mentor in the entire school year.
• BOWLS (Brains Operates Well on Loaded Stomach): Beneficiaries due to malnutrition were provided a free bowl of lugaw during recess.

Sociological Basis of School-Community Partnership

• The functionalist theory emphasizes that institutions rely on each other for societal stability.
• Schools require support from other institutions like churches, government bodies, and NGOs due to increasing challenges in educating the youth.

Legal Bases for Parent and Community Involvement

• RA 9155, Governance of Basic Education Act: School heads should establish networks and encourage participation from teachers' organizations, non-academic personnel, and parent-teacher-community associations.
• Local initiatives for improving schools and learning centers need support.
• Batas Pambansa Blg. 232: Educational institutions should create bodies for discussing issues, sharing information, and seeking support for the school's benefit.
• RA 8525, 'Adopt A School Program Act: Private entities can assist public schools in areas like staff training, facility construction, upgrading, and instructional materials.
• Education for ALL EFA 2015 Plan: Aims to improve basic education by harnessing local resources and involving all sectors in school improvement, extended to Education for All Beyond 2015-2030.
• Dr. Qian Tang (UNESCO) states that "Our vision must be aggressive, more committed not just involving government, non-government agencies but all stakeholders" in realizing the Agenda 2030.
• RA 9155 (partnership between school and community): Educational programs should consider community interests so schools reflect community values, giving staff flexibility to meet learners' needs. Encourages and supports local initiatives for school improvements.