Role of Leadership in Collaborating with Families and Communities

This essay discusses the role of leadership in collaborating with families and communities in early childhood education. It explores the importance of leadership traits and skills in integrating educational services with the community. The essay also highlights the impact of effective and ineffective leadership on the success of educational programs.

MANAGEMENT

Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................8
References.............................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
The essay brings out a discussion on role of leadership in collaborating with the
families and communities. This essay lays down some important leadership traits that play an
important role in early childhood education because it is important while integrating and
collaborating it with families and communities. The main aim of the essay is to support each
child so that it can feel comfortable, secure, and safe to have a great sense of belonging in the
schools. The discussion carries out a critical analysis of leadership skills that can either
support the community or collaborate with educational care through the positive traits and
attitude. Whereas, on the other hand, negative attitude of the leader can never lead to the
successful integration of educational services with the community (Rieg, and Marcoline,
2008).
How leadership plays an important role in nurturing the educational system and
integration it with communities
Leadership in education plays an influential role in encouraging and inculcating the
positive outcome in both children as well as the families. Effective educational leader
inspires, affirms, challenges, and motivates by extending their educational practises in their
teachings. Poor leadership has been responsible for the increasing number of failing schools.
These leaders improve teaching indirectly by influencing staff motivation, working
conditions and commitment (Australian children`s education and care quality authority,
2017). The government has developed many development programmes that can help the
schools to develop outstanding leaders. Educational leaders plays an important role in
fostering a positive workplace where continuous professional learning is valued. From the
various literatures, it has been identified that management and leadership are two different
interwoven dimensions where the leaders interact to practise the effective leadership. Earlier,
effective leadership revolve around five dimensions such as pedagogy, community,

conceptual leadership, administration, and advocacy. For instance- an effective leader can
improve the workplace and the organisational culture (Australian children`s education and
care quality authority, 2017). He continuously improves and supports the maintenance and
development. Moreover, it also improves relationships between the children and educators
and also between the leaders and the families. On the other hand, an ineffective leader can
spoil the career of children by only providing them theoretical knowledge or by giving wrong
suggestion to the parents.
Orientation is an important activity that transitions the children to school. Orientation
provides a chance to build a foundation in order to establish relationship between family and
services. It is important share information regarding how educators influences the families
and contribute to two-way communication (OOSH Development Factsheet, 2013). On the
other hand, if the parents and children do not attend orientation then they become unsure of
what they are needed to do. Further, in order to bridge the gap between the schools and
parent`s interest, the schools have to made progressive principles to cover the difference.
While building the successful partnerships, a school can develop a system to continuously
evaluate the volunteering program and show appreciation to encourage the parent`s
participation. Nothing can motivate a child more than an attractive orientation program and
parents value school, community, and family working in a partnership. A leader has to
prioritise the orientation day and make parents aware regarding the importance of orientation
day (OOSH Development Factsheet, 2013). A good education leader always focuses on
taking the feedbacks and follow-ups of the parents. Best feedback may come from working
class people and nurse educators that keep meeting on monthly basis in order to discuss the
progress level of the children. Evaluation forms and skillset will strengthen the
competitiveness of the schools. Whereas, a bad leader can become dominate and does not
listen to the follow-ups of the parents. A bad leader do not prioritises different parents, as not

everyone belong to same culture and religion (Teachertools, 2019). For example- a good
leader conducts workshops for the parents who belongs to entirely aboriginal public.
Whereas, a bad leader is always rigid regarding his/her procedures and systems
(Teachertools, 2019).
To build an authentic relationships between the parents and community, an school
plays an integral role in partnering the children`s education. Community schools plays a
critical role while supporting the diversity, collaborating with the community, and enhancing
a respectful relationship between learners and members (Department of education, 2017).
Whereas, parents engagement is equally important because parent and teacher with a shared
goal of exploiting the learning set for the wellbeing of the students. Some of the advantages
of engaging the community in the schooling system can be establishing the sustainable
relationships to improve the student`s learning and assisting the students to understand a
broader concept of community (Department of education, 2017). These partners may include
child and health services, education and training providers, sporting clubs, local business, and
industry and government organisation. Moreover, with this collaboration, schools will be able
to increase the ability to widen its range of offering, support and resources, and real life
learning opportunities, which are not available earlier within the schooling system
(Mendenhall et al., 2017). Further community collaboration can open the path for the
betterment of the health among both students and families. Whereas, there are also
disadvantages of the collaborating with the communities such as dominating empowerment
of the particular community over the schools or giving and preferring the students who
belong to that particular community (Gwynne et al., 2016). Moreover, these community
schools can also pressurise the parents to change their community. Most importantly, a
combination of both parents and community influences a child`s perception because they
spent many hours, weeks, and years where the parents and families can guide the children`s

learning opportunities. School and teachers takes some time to strengthen and establish
effective relationships with the community and parents who have found that their endeavours
are being appreciated with the improved results for the students and job satisfaction for
teachers (Teachertools, 2019). These days, it is found that communities have started
promoting community schools that encourages skills among all the age groups, generations,
disability, gender, and sexual orientations. Therefore, in order to maintain a strong and
authentic relationship between communities with the schools, an education leader plays an
important role. A good leader strategizes and formulates collaborative relationship that could
ensure that there is a need of individual information that targets specific audience. For
example- a leader should be effective enough to cater range of different cultures, which also
includes aboriginal culture because in this case a leader has to prefer a particular
communication pattern that could convince both rural as well as the working parents
(McCrea, 2015). An effective leader will communicate and exchange the thoughts between
communities, schools, parents, which are inclusive in sharing information. A leader enables
collaborating with the parents, schools, and students that promote learning and high
expectations for the success of the students. Whereas, a bad education leader spoils the
community collaboration by discriminating people on the basis of their community
belongingness. A bad education leader can be bad decision maker that do not promotes right
meaning of learning and growth. It might be the case that a bad leader disrespect the values
and work only for money retention without caring for the students and the parents
(Teachertools, 2019).
In the world of increasing living standards of the people and competition between the
schools in the education industry, children needs resources that are more equitable.
Therefore, these resources will provide tangible benefits to the students with additional and
special educational needs (Kovács, 2015). A good education leader understands the

importance of additional resources as these facilities can lead to addition of knowledge and
learning. Whereas, a bad leader lacks content knowledge and is unaware of resources that can
be beneficial for student`s success. A bad leader does not control the students due to lack of
classroom management (National Council for Special Education, 2014). A bad leader lacks
organisational skills that remain him with ineffectiveness and knowledge too (Kovács, 2015).
Many education leaders discriminate students on the basis of community or their income
level. These type of leaders are inefficient leaders who do not have faith in their teachings
and are narrow minded, as they always wants to benefit themselves not the students. A person
with poor communication skills keep the parents out of the loop of the process of children`s
learning and their outcomes. Poor education leaders simply lacks motivation and do not
inspire the students to work hard and push themselves by reflecting their capacity in their
interest areas (National Council for Special Education, 2014). A bad educator spends less
time for his/her job rather than arriving to the class before the time and always try to clear the
concepts rather than asking the students to cram the books. On the other hand, a good
educator inculcates a sense of commitment that comes up with a need for the additional
needs. A appropriate educator will link the additional resources to the children`s actual level
rather than showing the aboriginals that they are disable and they do not provide a true
indication (National Council for Special Education, 2014). A good leader provides an equal
platform to all the students even to the less potential that have been identified on the basis of
private assessments (Cumming, 2017). Many review of literature researches identified that
early interruption is necessary to support the children with these additional educational needs.
A viable leader make sure that these children have immediate access to additional resources
rather than involving waiting lists (McCrea, 2015). It is reported that many schools faces
extreme complexities while accessing the additional resources because of long waiting lists.
Further, it is seen that some schools overcome this problem as they pay for the private

assessments. Moreover, the current allocation of additional resources depends on parent`s
ability in order to pay the professional assessments. This feature is most used and useful
when any of the students suffer from health problems and cannot go to schools premises
(Thought.co. 2018).
At last, after discussing the orientation and the catering of additional requirements,
transition schooling is an important phase for both the families and children (Lord et al.,
2017). Generally, as the children are exposed to new environment so they become a bit afraid
due to new people all around them. Whereas, some children starts the schooling with a
positive phase as they are more likely to feel relaxed, comfortable, and valued (Corr, Cook,
LaMontagne, Davis, & Waters, 2017). They are also excited, motivated to learn and
maintains a good relations with others. Positive start for the school, which are more likely to
develop a sense of belonging in the school community. It is a process, which begins when
both the family and the children are ready and prepared to continue the school. This process
includes a numerous changes for families and children and everyone react on different level.
In these consequences, a good education leader conducts orientation to convince the parents
and ensure that their children will be comfortable with the availability of facilities
(Stevenson, 2018). A good leader ensures and promises every facilities to the parents for their
children. Once, if the family is convinced then it plays an important role in supporting the
children while managing the transition to the primary school. With the parent`s support and
early childhood educator, a child will be able to cope up with the new emerging challenges
by developed emotional, social, and learning skills. By supporting and inculcating these skills
in the children, these contributes to mental health wellbeing (Thought.co. 2018). A good
leader make the children to adapt the new culture and environment of the organisation.
Educators teach them to introduce themselves in front of many children and join the play to
become friendly. A good educator encourages sharing, play with the child, and help them to

develop a social skilful life. Whereas, on the other hand a bad educator gets annoyed and
frustrated due to children`s attitude of asking the same thing again and again. As these
children are in their early age, they should be treated with extreme love. However, a bad
leader treats them with anger (Thought.co. 2018).
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can said in a concluding form that a good and feasible
leader will always lead to growth and development ion the education service sector. A good
leader convinces and handles all the parents belonging from various local and rural
communities. A leader get them understand the important of education and integrate the
education with the communities. In a concluding way, a good leader can only improve the
availability of additional resources, transition schooling, and orientations.

References
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