Schools’ influence on their environment: The parents’ perspective

This study views school as a platform for leading social change in the local community, with a particular emphasis on the school’s parents as a part of that community. As such, taking the case of a green school, we examined the relative effects of three means –outreach, communication and attentiveness to the local community’s needs – that can instill new norms and behavior among parents. A sample of 95 parents of fifth and sixth grade students answered a questionnaire. It was found that the school’s means for leading change had different impacts on parents’ attitudes and behavior. However, the findings supported that educators could be regarded as institutional carriers of social change through a relational system.