Administration/Bullying - Essay Example

? Administration/Bullying Administration/Bullying Section IV Although school administrators are significant players in impacting effective learning on students, they cannot achieve much on their own. Evidence has shown that when administrators bring together schools, the community and families to collaborate in supporting student learning, students tend to develop a liking for school, stay longer in school and perform better (Loucrecia, 2003). The administrators can use various ways to create partnerships and relationships between schools, communities and families. However, it is also significant for the administrators to realize that not all families will be comfortable with such initiatives and seek the expertise of organizations in the community to approach them. For example, the administrators can conduct surveys to establish the impacts that can be achieved from various connections (Loucrecia, 2003). Then they can organize periodic teacher-parent conferences; after-school programs for adults, youths and children; community health services offered within school compounds; and charitable events. The community resources available for the administrators to assist them in solving problems, supporting student achievement and meeting school goals include organizations, parents, talented individuals, other school teachers and administrators, business leaders, political representatives and religious leaders (Loucrecia, 2003). The students are also a significant community resource in meeting the objectives of the partnerships. One way to demonstrate school involvement in the community would be to write a weekly column, or monthly at the least, in a local newspaper (Weiss & Westmoreland, 2007). Buying space in a newspaper may be costly, but with the help of business organizations, it can be achieved. The column should highlight both the successes and challenges of the school. This can also focus on the efforts of individual teachers, students and community members that contributed towards all that has been achieved within that period. Challenges should also be highlighted with suggestions of what partnerships are best suited to address them. Such an initiative has the potential to converge conflicting or diverse perspectives by giving people an indication of what the school’s objectives are and how they intend to achieve them. The significance of this is that it provides both the community and school the opportunity to know what takes place in the period between the publications (Weiss & Westmoreland, 2007). By allowing them such information, both parties (school and community) can appreciate the existence and results of their partnership. Another way would be to have a periodic, most probably monthly, open house day/evening in which every teacher plans activities designed towards agreed subject areas being taught at that time (Weiss & Westmoreland, 2007). In such activities, parents are invited to participate with their students, allowing them the opportunity to see what goes on in the classrooms. In this sense, they become actively involved in the education of their children and communicate their concerns to the teachers. Parents who hold different perspectives as to how learning is and should be conducted have the chance to share their views. Finally, the school administrator can conduct annual business fairs in an agreed month, where several businesses in the community participate (Weiss & Westmoreland, 2007). Both the school and community get an insight of what the businesses do, who they employ and the relevant skills required in the industries directly from the people involved. Students can later contribute their experience in the weekly column, while business organizations can mention such fairs in their publications and websites. Section V School staff, including teachers, sports instructors, cafeteria supervisors and transport supervisors can all be involved in confirming the presence, locations and frequency of bullying among students through assessments and surveys (Ellen & Garbarino, 2003). By being aware of what goes on, the staff can gauge the effectiveness of the intervention and prevention measures currently in use. The assessments include structured questions presented to the community and school members, including the students, asking them to narrate their thoughts and experiences in relation to bullying. From such surveys, which should be anonymous, the school administration can learn of the rate and trends of bullying often underestimated by adults because it is rarely reported by students (Ellen & Garbarino, 2003). Further, bullying usually takes place in the absence of an adult. In such a situation, stakeholders include the students, school staff, parents, community members and the school district authority. In developing and implementing an assessment plan, consensus must be built among all the stakeholders. First, the school must select a survey method that covers a set of measures, can be completed in a reasonable duration and is age-appropriate. As required by the district, parental and community consent must be sought. By accurately portraying the predominance of bullying in a school community, group process skills can be used to motivate stakeholders into a consensus. For example, if teachers, parents, students, staff members and community leaders perceive bullying as a rare occurrence in the school, they may not be motivated into implementing prevention programs (Ellen & Garbarino, 2003). On the other hand, if they acknowledge it as a prevalent problem, they readily agree to focus on its prevention. Communication and collaboration between the school, family and community should be regular, meaningful and two-way. It should be designed in such a way that it encourages feedback and suggestions, albeit anonymous, towards addressing the problem (Ellen & Garbarino, 2003). Such communications can be through planned conferences, bulletins or group and personal email. Enhancing technological advancements enables parents and communities to pass and receive information between themselves and the school. This is convenient and beneficial even to parents who leave apart or in far places from the school. It should also be encouraged that the communication relays specific findings, and provide avenues for parents who wish to know about their children (Ellen & Garbarino, 2003). Ethically, bullying has been described as a naturally occurring immorality in school environments, just as is parental abuse in the process of growing up. Ethicists have described bullies as those who seek power by direct attacks and aggression towards vulnerable victims, and they advocate for strict measures to abolish the vice. Although no federal laws exist to directly address school bullying in the US, Georgia was the first state to enact an anti-bullying legislation relating to schools in 1999. It provides for the reassignment of a suspected bully to another school so as to separate them from their victims (Ellen & Garbarino, 2003). In New Jersey, the law requires each school to report every bullying case, from which they will be graded basing on standards of bullying, incidents and policies. If convicted, bullies may face expulsion or suspension. References Ellen, L., & Garbarino, J. (2003). And words can hurt forever: How to protect adolescents from bullying, harassment, and emotional violence. New York: Free Press. Loucrecia, C. (2003). Building caring communities through conflict resolution: The new challenge for principals. The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 69(2), 17-24. Weiss, A., & Westmoreland, H. (2007). Family and community engagement in the Boston public schools. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Read More