Educators have heard a lot in the past decade about building community in their schools. Understanding why community is so essential is the purpose of this message.

It’s really simple; community is the element that makes possible everything   that needs to be accomplished in a school. It’s the catalyst that unites people and ideas, teachers and students, parents and educators. It creates a shared and common purpose for the work of schools.

Without a sense of community, the work of leading and teaching is like rolling a boulder uphill. There is resistance at every turn. When community is strong in a school the spirit of optimism prevails, even in the face of challenges. People come together on behalf of students. Work is shared and celebrations are prevalent. You can sense the spirit of community when you walk into a school. There is a welcoming feeling, people smile and are happy to be there. A shared purpose is evident and the results are always the same, students benefit in many ways.

If you’re interested in ramping up community in your school but your time for research and learning is limited, ASAP can help. Log into the ASAP modules Building Classroom Community: Effective Classroom Management and Creating a Learning Community and begin to build a productive school community now.