Whole-Community-Whole-Support: Educators and Community Members Working Together to Support Vulnerable Students

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Eight
  In Roundtable Session: Equity-Centered Considerations When Partnering With Diverse Communities (Table 18)

Abstract

This qualitative comparative case study examines factors enabling or limiting school-community collaborative activities’ implementation. Eighty participants (directors of education, superintendents, administrators, teachers, parents, community members) from two districts in the same southern Ontario region participated in individual open-ended, 45-minute interviews. Observations were conducted, and documents were collected.
Poverty, being newcomers to the country or Indigenous, mental health or developmental issues, sexual orientation or gender identities created complex student identities and needs educators were not able to address without community engagement. Collaborative activities included experiential learning, academic and recreational programs, newcomer settlement services, networked social services addressing mental and physical health. Findings extend research by identifying multiple ways school and district personnel and community members collaborate to support diverse students’ needs.

Author

• Catherine Hands, Brock University
  Presenting Author