Community schools are a time-tested strategy for school improvement.
Community schools are a time-tested, century-old strategy for building on the potential of our local public schools. They are not a fad, and they help deliver the promise of education as a public good.
Community schools are an improvement strategy for existing public schools based on the strengths and needs of the local community. They neither replace nor detract from local public education. In fact, they are shown to strengthen districts as a whole! In recent years, we’ve seen exciting, increased focus and investment in this approach as a proven strategy.
Where does the history of community schools strategies begin? Here’s in depth info from American Educator on “The Enduring Appeal of Community Schools” from 18th century to today, with photos across time.
In a 1902 speech, John Dewey shared a vision for education that harnessed the community as a key partner. More than 100 years later, this vision is increasingly becoming a reality. Read more in “Twenty Years, Ten Lessons.”
Find out how the legacy of Rosenwald Schools since the 1920s influences community schools strategies in the Deep South and beyond in “3 states in the Deep South are collaborating to advance community schools” from Brookings.
Community schools strategies have seen increased focus and investment in recent years, and this momentum that couldn’t have been possible without decades of dedicated practice & the significant staying power of the community school idea. Read more in “Community Schools: Lessons from the Past and Present.”
From the industrial revolution, the Great Depression, segregation and desegregation, education leaders throughout the 21st century turned to community schools strategies as a powerful, comprehensive response to facing inequity in public education. Read “Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence” from Learning Policy Institute.
New Resources from the Community Schools Forward Task Force
Community Schools Forward resources help policymakers and practitioners align around a conception of community schools that addresses key questions: What are community schools? How do they work? What goals and outcomes are they working toward? The answers are found in three tools to guide adoption and implementation. These tools reflect the collective wisdom and experience of the field along with the research base on community schools and the science of learning and development.
Framework: Essentials for Community School Transformation | This visual framework shows the essential elements of a fully implemented community school and depicts the integrated nature of community school transformation.
Theory of Action for Community School Transformation | This tool explains the activities practitioners can undertake and the expected outcomes as they implement the essential elements of community school transformation. It also highlights the key structures that support schools to mature and sustain the strategy.
Outcomes and Indicators for Community Schools: A Guide for Implementers and Evaluators | This tool identifies realistic expectations for community school impact areas and long-term outcomes, and it specifies short- and medium-term outcomes and measures to monitor progress and continuously improve.
Also see:
Get a comprehensive tour of new resources in Moving Community Schools Forward with foundational resources by Hayin Kimner for Brookings Institution.
Across the U.S., community schools are having a moment of increased attention and support in response to a growing understanding—brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic—that schools function as central hubs of their communities. Check out the latest awardees who received Full Service Community Schools grants.
When COVID-19 hit and schools began to shut down, community schools had the relationships and infrastructures in place that enabled them to mobilize support services and connect with their students and families meaningfully and quickly. The pandemic has also brought attention to stark inequalities brought about by structural racism, which community schools can help to address through a more collaborative and equitable approach to education.
Network members with the Partnership for the Future of Learning are making strides in supporting full-service Community Schools efforts in states and nationwide:
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has resources, such as “Is my school a community school?” – checklist for school site staff and coordinators and “Successful and Sustainable Community Schools” – lifting up the role of local and state unions in community school efforts.
Brookings Institution Community School Leader Insights series is written by partners and collaborators.
The California Teachers Association (CTA) published a featured post on their blog, Community Schools: Building the Heart and Hub.
The Coalition for Community Schools at the Institute for Educational Leadership released a guide created by youth to serve as a tool for powerful youth engagement: Six Strategies To Build Empowering Youth Engagement.
Learning Policy Institute has released Investing in Community Schools: How States and Districts Can Use Federal Recovery Funds Strategically.
NEA Foundation has a community schools page on their website.
In fall 2020, the latest edition of Universities and Community Schools (volume 10, number 1) was published. The journal helps build an informal international network of academics and practitioners working, in different places and ways, to increase the contributions universities make to the development and effectiveness of community schools. The call for articles in the next issue will be coming out in the new year.
UCLA Center for Community Schooling has an online media journal, Community Schooling. Each issue of the journal features case studies of community schools, teacher scholarship, youth research, and policy commentary. The first issue tells the story of UCLA Community School; presents a co-authored report by LA Unified community school teachers who describe their schools as alternative spaces where new practices and norms enable them to respond to the assets and needs of their students; presents youth research focused on their return to school during these uncertain times; and shares a policy brief authored by the Learning Policy Institute. They have also released the 2020-21 annual reports for the UCLA Community Schools that highlight their growth and progress. Additional resources and research reports are available on their research page.
The Partnership for the Future of Learning has a brief called “Financing Community Schools: A Framework for Growth and Sustainability” that builds on the Community Schools Playbook.