The
               Report

SR112: Schools -a vital part of rural community development

This Short Report is a summary of a full report More than an Education —Leadership for rural school –community partnerships (RIRDC Publication Number 02/055,ut- 31A)by Sue Kilpatrick et al., Phone 03 6324 3018, Fax:03 6324 3040. The report is available in hardcopy for $10 from the RIRDC  E-shop (phone 02 6272 4819) or can be downloaded for free from RIRDC ’s website:www.rirdc.gov.au/fullreports/hcc.html

A series of case studies into rural school and community partnerships has found that schools are a vital but often overlooked component of rural community development.

Most communities have been severely affected by the withdrawal of other important community services such as banks and local offi ces of government departments.But the benefi ts to communities from rural schools are not well understood.

The case studies,undertaken by a team under Dr Sue Kilpatrick of the Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia at the University of Tasmania, look at rural school-community partnerships in fi ve very different rural communities.

 Each study outlines the nature and extent of the partnership and analyses the infl uence of leadership and other factors on the development and sustainability of the partnership.

A report on the work identifi es a leadership process model for developing school-community partnerships and provides a number of important indicators of effective partnerships.

It concludes with lessons to assist schools and communities to develop effective partnerships and provides a number of recommendations for policy makers.

These recommendations aim to guide funding bodies in providing rural educa- tion services,integrating them with health and other services,and imple- menting rural community development plans.

 The project

The objectives involved examining the extent and nature of the contribution of rural schools to their communities ’ development beyond traditional forms of education of young people,including the: • use of the skills and knowledge of the school staff in initiating,organising and/ or running wider community activities and projects; • opportunities provided for adults in the community for personal development and skill acquisition through involvement in school activities and school bodies such as school councils;and • importance of the physical school resources to small communities.

The objectives also sought to investigate ways in which leadership modes of the school and community influence the extent and nature of the school ’s contribution to the community and to consider the constraints to putting schools to other uses.

Sites for the case studies were selected to meet a number of criteria,including size of the community (population of less than 10,000 people),and evidence of the active and ongoing role of the school in improving social and economic outcomes for the community.

From more than 100 initially nominated schools,a shortlist of 14 was selected.The five subsequently chosen were Cooktown State School in Queensland,Cowell Area School in South Australia,Margaret River Senior High School in Western Australia,Meander Primary School in Tasmania and St Paul ’s College in Walla Walla,New South Wales.

Site characteristics


#Degree of remoteness is determined according to accessibility to 201 service centres across Australia,using the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA)developed by the Department of Health and Aged Care in collaboration with the National Key Centre for Social Applications of Geographical Information Systems (Bureau of Rural Sciences 1999,p.113).

 A case study design using multi-site,multi- method techniques was used.Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observation,and written documentation from school and community sources.

In the interviews,people ’s perceptions of their local school and community were sought, and of the capacity of each to respond to or initiate change.Specifi c questions were asked regarding the nature,outcomes and likely sustainability of school-community linkages, and the extent to which leadership and other factors infl uenced the partnership.

These techniques generated rich qualitative data which were then analysed with the aid of the NUD*IST (Non-Numeric Unstructured Data Information Searching and Theorising) computer software program.

After data analysis was completed, preliminary fi ndings were presented at community meetings in each study site,and participants were invited to have input into the drafting of recommendations in the fi nal report.

 The results

The case studies revealed that rural school- community partnerships deliver a variety of positive outcomes for youth and for the community. These include:

While these tangible outcomes are important to the sustainability of many small rural communities,the research shows potentially more valuable outcomes from school- community partnerships are increased individual and community capacity to infl uence their own futures.

In particular,the development of Vocational Education and Training-in-schools (VET-in- schools)programs in rural communities,and community-wide benefi ts that fl ow from such programs,represent an important vehicle for building community capacity.

Lessons learned from the case studies include the need to value youth,to scan the horizon for new opportunities,and to focus on good school public relations which is about two- way communications between the school and the community.

Other lessons include providing opportunities and support so everyone can contribute, encouraging broad-based participation in the school leadership process,and getting community leaders on side.

As well,there is a need to nurture ‘boundary crossers ’ — people who play an important role in building and maintaining school- community partnerships,and who provide continuity throughout the process..

Three other important lessons are to involve external stakeholders from the beginning,to realise that partnership building is a process that takes time and cannot be short circuited, and to be fl exible while maintaining a degree of continuity.

The leadership process for implementing effective school-community linkages and projects that are the foundation of successful school-community partnerships is illustrated in the following figure.

 Implementing school –community partnerships:Stages of the leadership Process

Model developed by Sue Kilpatrick,Susan Johns,Bill Mulford and Ian Falk.

Policy recommendations

The case studies resulted in a number of policy recommendations:

1: Provide for continuity Seeding grants for the development of large-scale school –community partnerships should have a five-year lifecycle,in keeping with commercial business practice.

Current levels of funding for the development,maintenance and sustainability of large-scale school – community partnerships should be reviewed, and increased levels of funding allocated (or redistributed from the ‘start- up ’ stages)to allow for the maintenance and sustainability of school –community partnerships.

2: Support school entrepreneurship by better facilitating the seeking out and writing of funding applications Additional financial resources should be provided to rural schools to allow them to seek opportunities and develop grant applications for external sources of funding.

3: Facilitate the appointment of school –community liaison officers The position of school –community liaison officer should be created in each rural local government area or equivalent,to service schools and communities in that area.

This position should be jointly funded by the Federal Government (through sources such as Regional Solutions),local government and the schools.The role of the community liaison officer will be to facilitate school – community partnerships,including sourcing and accessing funding for school –community initiatives.

4: Refocus VET-in-schools programs to include rural community development Annual evaluations of VET-in-schools programs should use a variety of measures to assess the effectiveness of the program, including both qualitative and quantitative data,and consideration of the longer term outcomes.

 The role of VET-in-schools programs in contributing to rural community development needs to be measured, documented,formally recognised,and appropriately resourced.

5: Review school insurance policies and help meet the costs of public liability insurance State Departments of Education should review school insurance policies to ensure students are adequately covered while engaged in VET-in-schools activities on and off school premises.

State and/or Federal Governments should contribute towards the cost of public liability insurance for small employers in rural communities who provide regular work placements for VET- in-schools students.

6: Ensure policy flexibility Policy makers need to build flexibility into policies,to take into account the particular problems faced by rural schools and communities,and to allow rural schools and communities to maximise on their strengths and available resources.

7: Ensure appropriate support is provided for all rural schools to establish and maintain community linkages Both government and independent schools in rural areas should be encouraged and supported to develop further linkages with each other,with rural and other industry, and with community groups.

8: Facilitate transformational and distributive leadership Rural leadership programs should consider the value and potential contribution of rural schools.Discussion of the leadership processes of the interventions and the lessons outlined in the full report “More than an Education:Leadership for rural school –community partnerships ” should be incorporated into the programs. Programs should explore and develop personal values in order to facilitate participation in the leadership process,and should develop skills in communicating, compromising and negotiating.

Professional development should be available for all school staff (principals and senior staff,teachers,ancillary staff) in the special role of rural schools in their communities.Programs should include discussion of the leadership processes of the interventions and the lessons outlined in this report.They should explore and develop personal values in order to facilitate participation in the leadership process,and should develop skills in communicating,compromising and negotiating.

 State parent bodies,with appropriate fi nancial support from Federal and State Governments,should provide leadership training to support parental participation in school decision making.Training should explore and develop personal values in order to facilitate participation in the leadership process,and should develop skills in communicating,compromising and negotiating.

Summary

The research acknowledges that the core function of schools is to provide education for youth.It concludes that successful student learning is related not only to the school ’s capacity,but also to the ability of the school to assist in the development of community capacity.

Schools in this study have developed innovative educational opportunities over the last 10 years for youth,using a whole-of- community approach.

This has resulted in positive outcomes for youth,and has also enabled school – community partnerships to contribute signifi cantly to the economic and social wellbeing of communities,by building capacity in terms of human and,in particular, social capital.

Such contributions are of particular importance for rural community sustainability.

The approach to school –community relationships is crucial to their long-term chances of success.Developing school – community partnerships occurs over time,and leadership processes must acknowledge and build on this. This means schools and communities that have a balance between events-based or specifi c project linkages,and ongoing linkages, and which match school and community leadership processes,are better positioned to make substantial and long-term contributions to the development of their communities.

The report concludes what is needed is a school and community that have an ability to act purposefully in pursuit of goals,to self- regulate,and to learn and change as and when they decide it is in their collective interests to do so.


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