Knowledge of the community is very important to prospective administrators. This assignment will help assist in developing the skills and strategies for linking one’s school with its constituents (or stakeholders), namely parents, citizens, business, government and special interest groups in the community. To know a community we need to investigate an array of demographic information. You are expected to complete a thorough inventory that will help to identify the characteristics of neighboring school communities. Your major assignment for the next two weeks is to complete an inventory of your local school community and a neighboring school community.
It is not easy, but this task will help you to identify the population, its characteristics, and the leaders and key communicators of each community. It will also help you identify the organizations and stakeholders in the communities that affect yours and neighboring schools.
Complete the inventory for your school or work community and a neighboring community. You may not be able to answer all of the questions, but if you contact community and/or district offices, you should be able to get most of the answers. The internet is a great source of information.
The following resources will be helpful in completing the inventory:
 School district websites  County and/or city websites  Your state department of education’s website  U.S. Census Bureau – State & County QuickFacts  U.S. Census Bureau  Talk to others in the community  Review local business organizations’ data  Observe the student populations (if possible)  Check with government offices
SUMII 2017-Simmons
Detailed Instructions: . Present your findings in a Word document or presentation. Please do not include numbers and questions. Simply answer the questions in sentences. 1. What communities were selected for this project? 2. What is the average per household income? 3. What percentage of the community lives in single family homes? 4. What percentage of the community lives in rental housing? 5. Has the price of housing increased or decreased in the last year or so? By what percentage? 6. What is the education level of the population? 7. What is the population number? Has it increased or decreased? 8. Any major new housing construction in the neighborhood? 9. What are the occupation types of the people in your community? 10. What are the major economic contributors to the community? 11. Is the community gaining or losing businesses? 12. Describe the diversity of the community. Which cultures are represented? 13. What are some general attitudes (both positive and negative) of the community as you see them? 14. What is the per pupil tax base in your community (How much funding does the school receive per pupil? This is referred to as ADM [Average Daily Membership].) 15. Does there seem to be indications of social strata in the community?
Compare and contrast the two selected communities. Who are the perceived “publics” in each community? Who are the stakeholders that both communities have in common, if any? What evidence indicates that the communities work together? As a prospective administrator, what are ways in which curriculum, instruction, and communications are affected by the community environment? Support your recommendations with research-based sources. Be sure to cite your sources and include a cover page. (See APA 6th Edition Examples in Course Content.)
Save your Inventory document to your computer and upload it into the assignment DropBox by Tuesday, August 8th by 11:59pm. I will upload your document to Discussion Board for you peers to view on August 9th; therefore, all projects must be submitted on time.