A community education model for improving relationships among families, schools and the community partners: Review of local experiences in Catalonia, Madrid, Valencian Autonomous Community and the Canary Islands
Main Article Content
Abstract
This paper focus on relationships among families, schools and the community partners, considered to be a key element to promote the educational success among children and young people. From an educational perspective based on educational success, family involvement and community education, the paper presents the The Model of Community Education for Families, Schools and Communities (MECFEC, after the Spanish abbreviation) for improving among the agents of the community. The MECFEC was the result of a research process that was developed between 2013 and 2016 according to J. L. Epstein’s research. The main methodology used in this research is action research. In particular, this article presents the last stage of this process, conducted on 2015-2016, in which several local experiences were developed in 14 educational centers in five autonomous communities of Spain: Catalonia, Madrid, Valencian Autonomous Community and the Canary Islands.
The analysis of the implementation of this model provides evidence of success when the processes of community education are based on: active role of the school director; leadership based on collaboration; promotion of educational co-responsibility, especially among families; generation of community meeting spaces; appropriation of the model by one or more agents.