Final answer:
Including parents in school advisory councils has several advantages. It enhances parental skills, aligns school functions with parental goals, and shapes programs to the community's unique needs, resulting in better engagement and support for the school.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the advantages of including parents within school advisory councils. The advantages are multiple and interlinked, supporting not just the function of the school but the wider community as well. These include:
- Parents developing skills that benefit both themselves and their communities, as involvement in advisory councils can lead to skill enhancement and empowerment.
- When parents perceive a connection between the school's functioning and their own goals, they are more likely to demonstrate support for the school. This is akin to the asset-based approach, which emphasizes positive roles, values, and practices within the community.
- Advisory councils help in shaping programs to fit the unique character and needs of a community, ensuring that education is relevant and responsive to local concerns. This could include considering the cultural and religious values that are held dear by the community members.
Programs are more likely to succeed and receive community buy-in when they are reflective of the community's own objectives and values, as opposed to those solely identified by external experts. Moreover, government programs that offer educational support through various means can lead to positive spillovers, such as the coordination between businesses, schools, and local colleges to provide real-world experiences for students.