Building transformative school-community collaboration : a critical paradigm

Abstract

School-community collaboration has received increasing attention in social work because of its potential for enhancing the quality of services to meet the multifaceted needs of students. However, there is little understanding of how to create and maintain successful school-community collaboration. The purpose of this research is to develop and validate a comprehensive framework for transformative school-community collaboration based on a critical paradigm and its corresponding theories. Using school survey data, an exploratory factor analysis identified the four dimensions of transformative school community collaboration, including (1) critical member capacity, (2) equal relations, (3) democratic network governance, and (4) empowering coordination. The results of multiple regression analyses showed that the identified dimensions were positively associated with the quality outcomes of Out-of-School Time programs although their significant effects varied across different quality outcomes: high-quality activities, student engagement, and linkages with family/community. Another key finding was that structural dimensions—democratic network governance and empowering coordination—appeared to be stronger factors. However, this research suggested that critical member capacity and equal relations may be associated indirectly with the quality outcomes. This dissertation paper concludes with practical implications and future research agenda to successfully build transformative school-community collaboration.