This book presents and discusses the essential elements of a successful school-community-relations plan for all schools. The study of school-community relations, though an integral part of the graduate curriculum of most programs in educational administration, is sadly viewed by some as nonessential. School administrators must understand and deal with the public's deep concerns regarding education on a daily basis. In all the different types of instances that involve interaction with the public, the school administrator must have the skills to communicate effectively. The behaviors of the best school administrators in all levels of education show a tremendous priority placed on effectively communicating with and involving the public. This book provides practical information for becoming a skilled school administrator in the area of school-community relations. It provides the necessary background information along with many tried-and-true techniques for improving the administrator's ability to understand and communicate with the different school publics. Each chapter concludes with a bulleted summary designed to ascertain the extent to which the concepts have been internalized. Finally, each chapter contains a case study to assist in applying the information learned to a real-life situation faced by a school leader. (Contains 66 references.) (RT)