Where It All Comes Together How Partnerships Connect Communities and Schools By Martin J. Blank and Lisa Villarreal their communities to succeed, and that schools alone cannot provide all the educational and developmental experiences young T he modern-day community schools movement reached people need to graduate and succeed in life. a new plateau in 2008 when Randi Weingarten made Leaders in local government, local United Ways, community community schools a central element of her platform as foundations, higher education institutions, community-based the new president of the American Federation of Teach- organizations, and beyond are coming to the same conclusion. ers. The AFT’s action was a milestone on a journey that began a Across the country, they see a public school student population decade earlier, when advocates for community schools deter- that is more than 51 percent poor1 and increasingly diverse. And mined that it was necessary to renew a core American value—that they see young people who are more isolated and distrustful,2 and our public schools should be centers of flourishing communities who face deep and pervasive inequities. where everyone belongs and works together to help our young Community schools purposefully partner with youth organiza- people thrive. tions, health clinics, social service agencies, food banks, higher The AFT’s leadership understood then, and continues to education institutions, businesses, and others to meet students’ understand now, that students need the organized support of and families’ academic and nonacademic needs, so teachers are free to teach and students are ready to learn. Community schools A HIGE NITT Mshaiprt, idni Jr.e Bctloarn ok fi st hthe eC poraelsiitdioennt f oofr tChoe mInmstuitnuittey f oSrc hEodoulcsa, tainonda al uLtehaodre or-f aSruec bhe sccohmooinlsg r tehper cehseonset an csotrmatpegreyh foenr asicvteio—na anmdo tnragn tshfeosrem leaatidveer—s. AZUS numerous articles and reports on how schools and communities can work school reform strategy that views young people holistically and Y K together to increase student learning. Lisa Villarreal is the education expects everyone to step up to support them. ONS B program officer for the San Francisco Foundation and chair of the steer- The Coalition for Community Schools, which was organized ILLUSTRATI iisnnelg op cru,o bamlnimcd e iatdtduemec afiontirio stnthr eaf oCtoro rm.aloitrieo nth faonr C3o0 myemarusn, isteyr Svcinhgo oalss .a S theea hchaes rw, coorukend- imno 1v9e9m7,e hnat.s W beitcho 2m1e4 ap adrrtinveinrsg ifno recdeu icna tthioen c, ohmeamltuhn aintyd s mcheonotalsl 4 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2015 health, youth development, civil rights, local government, child Also, a growing recognition that children learn and develop and youth advocacy, philanthropy, and local community school across multiple domains has bolstered the community schools initiatives, the coalition has helped raise the visibility of commu- movement. The success of young people depends not just on their nity schools and has led many partners to pursue the develop- academic achievement but on their cognitive, social, emotional, ment of community schools as part of their own agendas. physical, and ethical growth, as well as their civic participation. This In this article, we outline how far the community schools realization harkens back to the work of Abraham Maslow, Urie movement has come since the AFT made community schools a Bronfenbrenner, and James Comer,† who have argued for the priority in 2008. We explain why the movement has grown, clarify importance of these multiple domains and for addressing the needs what exactly makes a community school different from other of the whole child.5 schools, lay out how community schools work, and show the posi- Moreover, as Robert Putnam demonstrates in his new book tive results that community schools are attaining. We conclude Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis,6 too many of our young with a brief discussion of the challenges that lie ahead. people lack access to opportunities to find their talent for art, music, athletics, and other abilities—opportunities that help them The Rise of the Community Schools Movement Approximately 5,000 schools in more than 150 communities across the country currently employ the community school strategy, serv- ing around 2 million students. Exact numbers are hard to determine because community schools come in so many shapes and sizes and often don’t follow a formal model. Large school districts (such Our public schools should be centers as Baltimore; Chicago; New York City; and Oakland, California), medium-size districts (such as Cincinnati; Evansville, Indiana; of flourishing communities where Lincoln, Nebraska; and Salt Lake City), and smaller districts (such everyone belongs and works together as Vallejo, California; Evanston, Illinois; and Allentown, Pennsyl- vania) are embracing community schools. University-assisted to help young people thrive. community schools, where higher education institutions partner with schools, are also growing, as is Communities In Schools, a national nonprofit focused on eliminating the barriers that contrib- ute to students dropping out of school. These places and approaches cut across political perspectives, reflecting the fact that gathering the community at the schoolhouse in order to better support young people and the community is a traditional American idea. develop vital skills and build connections and relationships to Significantly, these school districts and communities are not just adults. The contrast in access to opportunity is stark for low- organizing individual community schools; they are working to income children compared with their upper-middle-class peers. transform every school into a community school, where both the The rise of community organizing efforts calling for community school district and the community share responsibility for ensuring schools is another significant development. Family and commu- better outcomes for young people. nity engagement have always been key components of the com- Multiple factors have led to the continuing adoption of com- munity school strategy. Now, families, young people, and munity schools. First, the test-based accountability movement community residents are coming together in deeper ways, simply has not achieved what its architects set out to do: dramati- demanding that their public schools not be closed. Community cally improve student achievement, especially for poor children members are calling on state and district officials to give their and children of color. While that movement has illuminated the schools the option to become community schools.7 They want the achievement gap, it has not addressed the inequities in young stable institutions their communities deserve—places where their people’s lives, the toxic stress,3 and the sense of isolation that come children can get the education they need. from growing up in racially and economically segregated neighbor- hoods. Nor has it addressed health disparities, chronic absence, †For more on the work of James Comer, see “School Ties” in the Spring 2013 issue of school discipline, the lack of social capital, and other challenges American Educator, available at www.aft.org/ae/spring2013/dubin. receiving growing attention today. The increase in poverty among our nation’s students cannot be For more on the history of overemphasized as well. The majority of public school students community schools and how now come from low-income families, and that number seems likely coordinated partnerships to grow as the squeeze on the middle class continues. Our country’s meet students’ academic, population is also more diverse than ever,* with the percentage of health, and social service English language learners continuing to increase,4 and the number needs—and also free of languages spoken and cultures present in public schools con- teachers to teach—see the tinuing to challenge a predominantly white teacher workforce. Summer 2009 issue of American Educator, *For more about the increasing diversity of language and culture in the United States, available at www.aft.org/ see the article by Claude Goldenberg and Kirstin Wagner on page 28 of this issue of ae/summer2009. American Educator. AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2015 5 These community organizers have come together under the ban- We can no longer afford to ignore the voices of teachers, who ner of the national Journey for Justice Alliance, a coalition of grass- know our children best, or the data on the conditions in young roots organizations. They also belong to the Alliance to Reclaim Our people’s lives that influence their learning and development. And Schools, a broader union-community organizing coalition that has more and more school and community leaders agree. That is why helped introduce community schools legislation in 10 states.* they are partnering to establish community schools. Finally, teachers know firsthand the impact that a changing Elements of a Community School student population and difficult family circumstances have on a child’s education. In a recent survey by the Council of Chief To be clear, academic achievement is central in community State School Officers of 46 state teachers of the year, 76 percent schools. After all, we all want young people to be ready for college, career, and citizenship. But if we focus on academics alone, we fail to understand that young people develop, as we previously discussed, across mul- tiple domains, and we fail to see that it is the responsibility of the school, family, and community, working in concert, to fulfill the necessary conditions for learning (for more on these conditions, see the box to the left). From a community school perspective, fulfilling these condi- tions requires deep, respectful, and purposeful relationships among educators, families, and community partners. These part- nerships ultimately help build and integrate the common ele- ments of a community school: (1) health and social supports for students and families, often called wraparound services; (2) authentic family and community engagement; and (3) expanded learning opportunities inside and outside the school building that support the core curriculum and enrich students’ learning experi- ences. For school and community leaders, community schools are not a “silver bullet” but a strategy for developing collective named family stress and 63 percent named poverty as significant trust, collective action, and collective impact. barriers to student achievement.8 And in a Communities In By establishing partnerships with child and family services orga- Schools survey, 88 percent of teachers said poverty is a major bar- nizations, community health centers, mental health agencies, and rier to learning.9 Additionally, a survey conducted by the AFT in hospitals, community schools can respond to the fear, hunger, physi- spring 2015 highlighted the workplace stress that teachers face— cal pain, and psychological distress that many students experience. stress that many educators believe impedes instruction and Such partners place mental health counselors in schools and some- demeans the profession.† times work with schools to operate and house health, dental, and vision clinics inside the actual school building. If such clinics are not located within community schools themselves, the schools link *For more on the Journey for Justice Alliance and the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, students and families to clinics located in the community. visit www.j4jalliance.com and www.reclaimourschools.org. †For more on the AFT survey, visit http://go.aft.org/AFT-Workplace-Survey. Family resource centers that connect students and families to the services they need are also common in community schools. And it is not unusual for staff members from community partner Conditions for Learning organizations to sit and participate on student support teams. Restorative justice programs have increasingly become a fea- • Early childhood development is fostered through high-quality, ture of community schools, as well. The term “restorative justice” comprehensive programs that nurture learning and describes approaches to discipline that help students “proactively development. build healthy relationships and a sense of community to prevent • The school has a core instructional program with qualified and address conflict and wrongdoing.”10 Such programs can teachers, a challenging curriculum, and high standards and expectations for students. improve student behavior and help students avoid the pipeline • Students are motivated and engaged in learning—both in to prison. By coordinating these services, community schools can school and in community settings, during and after school. reduce chronic absences due to poor health, decrease disciplinary • The basic physical, social, emotional, and economic needs of issues and truancy rates, and help create a more stable living situ- young people and their families are met. ation for children at home. • There is mutual respect and effective collaboration among Authentic family and community engagement is the second parents and school staff. dimension of a community school. Research clearly shows the • The community is engaged in the school and promotes a school important role that families play in their children’s learning and climate that is safe, supportive, and respectful, and that offers development.11 To that end, community schools seek to build students access to a broader set of learning opportunities. mutual respect and effective collaboration among parents, fami- SOURCE: COALITION FOR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY SCHOOLS: PROMOTING lies, and school staff. Community schools don’t happen to families STUDENT SUCCESS; A RATIONALE AND RESULTS FRAMEWORK (WASHINGTON, DC: COALITION FOR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, 2010), 10. but with their active involvement. 6 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2015 Working with community-based partners, educators at Focusing at the systems level is essential if community schools many community schools interact with families beyond tradi- are to become a permanent part of the education and community tional parent-teacher conferences. Often, community schools landscape, and if they are to avoid the pitfalls of leadership transi- embrace parent-teacher home visits,‡ participate on academic tions, policy shifts, and other forces. There are more than 150 teams of parents and teachers, work with parents in leadership places scaling up community schools, among the most recent development, and engage in the work of community organizing being New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio has overseen the groups. At community schools, families are seen as valuable development of 128 community schools and has set a goal of resources for the education of their children. Such collaboration establishing 200 by 2017. between teachers and parents helps create a more welcoming, Growing systems of community schools has become a key respectful, and supportive culture and climate across the entire priority for the Coalition for Community Schools. Our experience school. As teachers know all too well, the better the school cli- shows that establishing interactions among a community-wide mate, the more teaching and learning occur. leadership group and site leadership teams from community Finally, the enriching learning experiences that community schools within the same school district, with the support of a schools offer can take place before, during, and after school, strong intermediary organization, is the key to building a success- and may even extend into the summer. These experiences ful system of community schools. In the coalition’s guide Scaling engage young people in real-world problem solving around Up School and Community Partnerships: The Community Schools issues of critical concern to students, families, and their neigh- Strategy, we outline the structural elements that experience tells borhoods. Issues such as decreasing violence, improving the us are necessary for the most sustainable system.12 Community schools can reduce chronic absences due to poor health, decrease disciplinary issues and truancy rates, and help create a more stable living situation for children at home. environment, increasing access to healthcare and good nutri- The community-wide leadership group, made up of members tion, and others enable the community to become a focal point from the school district, local government, United Ways, busi- for learning, with service learning as a common strategy. In nesses, teacher unions, and community- and faith-based organi- community schools, partnerships with businesses, higher edu- zations, is responsible for setting the overall vision, developing cation institutions, and healthcare systems and hospitals offer policy, aligning resources, and outlining accountability plans to students career-focused learning experiences, apprenticeships, build and sustain a system of community schools. A school-site and internships. leadership team, consisting of parents, residents, principals, teachers, school staff, community partners and usually a com- How Community Schools Operate munity coordinator, and students, is responsible for school-based Strong leadership across multiple institutions, a focus on results, decision making, which includes planning and implementation, and the presence of a community schools coordinator are and satisfying local needs that align with the school’s academic among the key ingredients for bringing community schools to mission. An intermediary entity (an organization or a working life. School and community leaders have learned about these group composed of key managers from one or more partner agen- and other key ingredients for organizing effective community cies) provides planning, coordination, and management. Inter- schools over the past two decades (see the box on page 8), and mediary staff ensure communication among community-wide they are learning how to grow systems of community schools and school-site leaders. With these leadership structures in place, where partners and educators develop relationships with mul- educators and partners can increase the number and effective- tiple community schools that coordinate resources, share best ness of community schools across a school district. practices, and get results. It’s important to note that community schools are well-suited to engage with related efforts to help young people, families, and communities. For instance, the Becoming a Man program,13 a ‡For an example of how parent-teacher home visits can work, see the article on the prototype for President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project on page 24 of this issue. AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2015 7 was designed by Youth Guidance, the lead partner in a number In Chicago, which has been subject to a variety of reforms over of Chicago community schools. (For more on the Becoming a Man the years, research by Carnegie Foundation president Anthony program, see page 11.) Other community school initiatives also Bryk and his colleagues found that schools with community have taken up the call of My Brother’s Keeper—to address persis- school characteristics were more successful in terms of academic tent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color so all achievement in reading and math scores, and in reducing chronic young people can reach their full potential. absenteeism, along with other key indicators of student success.16 Similarly, in addition to major organizational partners (e.g., Spanning many years, the research concluded that successful the Afterschool Alliance, the School-Based Health Alliance, the schools had robust parent-community ties, a student-centered National League of Cities, the School Superintendents Associa- learning climate, and instructional guidance. Trust among school tion, and United Way Worldwide), the coalition works with broad leaders, teachers, families, and community members was also an national initiatives that are related to community schools, includ- important predictor of school success. ing Attendance Works, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, Similar findings appear in studies of community schools across the Promise Neighborhoods Institute, Partners for Each and Every the nation. For example, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, students in com- Child, and the National Opportunity to Learn Campaign. Com- munity schools that successfully implemented student and family munity schools welcome such efforts because each one requires supports had math scores that were 32 points higher and reading the active engagement of the school and community to succeed. scores that were 19 points higher than their counterparts in other This makes community schools a powerful vehicle in collective Tulsa schools.17 impact and place-based strategies.14 Students involved with City Connects in Boston community schools showed higher reading, writing, and mathematics Community Schools Are Effective report-card performance in grades 3–5, and higher third-grade Multiple research studies show that community schools work, math scores on the state standardized test. In middle school, including a recent Child Trends meta-analysis that found that students earned higher overall course grades in grades 6–7, and community schools support young people’s needs, reduce grade performed better on math and English language arts state tests retention and dropout rates, and increase attendance, math in grades 6–8.18 achievement, and grade-point averages.15 Evaluators of Baltimore’s community school initiative found that schools that had been implementing community school practices for five or more years had significantly better atten- dance rates and lower chronic absence rates than noncommu- Key Ingredients of an Effective nity schools. From the 2009–2010 to 2013–2014 school years, Community School these community schools increased average attendance by 1.6 percent, compared with a 1.8 percent decrease for noncommu- • A principal who knows his or her community, sees achieving nity schools, and decreased chronic absence rates by 4.1 per- equity as fundamental to his or her work, and makes the school building a place where educators, partners, and the cent, compared with a 3.6 percent increase for noncommunity public feel comfortable working together. schools.19 (For more on Baltimore’s community school initiative, • Skilled teachers who have high expectations for their see page 11.) students, enjoy collaborative relationships with families and Finally, a study by the Finance Project shows that community community partners, and offer students robust learning schools return $10 to $14 in social benefits for each dollar invested.20 experiences that draw on community resources and expertise. • Community partners with the expertise to help achieve the The Policy Environment for goals of the community school, and who are well integrated Community Schools into the life of the school. At the federal level, we continue to impress upon policymakers • A community schools coordinator who serves as a bridge the importance of addressing the challenges that community between the school and community, aligns the work of schools take on. Progress is incremental but promising. As Con- educators and community partners toward a common set of results, and supports a site leadership team. gress debates the renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Edu- • A site leadership team that gives families, students, and cation Act, the coalition has been promoting the authorization residents a voice and involves them, along with educators and and funding of the Full-Service Community Schools Act21 as a community partners, in the planning, implementation, and specific program, while also advocating for a set of principles that oversight of the community school. reflect the operational elements of community schools. • A community assessment that identifies the needs of the Key principles include a broader accountability framework, school, students, families, and community, as well as the with elements such as health, wellness, and discipline; language assets of individuals, formal institutions and agencies, and undergirding the role of community school coordinators; profes- informal organizations in the community that can be sional development that enables principals, teachers, instruc- mobilized to meet these needs. tional support personnel, and community partners to work more • A focus on results and accountability that uses data to define effectively with families, communities, and each other; and specific indicators that the community school seeks to improve, and the capacity to collect and analyze data to capacity building that supports community school partnerships measure progress. and better aligns and coordinates programs. In our discussions with members of Congress, these principles have received a posi- SOURCE: COALITION FOR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, “FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS,” WWW.BIT.LY/1NBfNfR. tive reception. 8 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2015 At the state level, we have seen a marked increase in interest Changing Mindsets, Enhancing Leadership, and Strength- in community schools. New York and the District of Columbia ening Professional Development: Leadership and professional have appropriated funds for community schools. Legislation sup- development programs in education, social work, community porting community schools has been enacted in Connecticut, development, and other fields need to offer a sharper picture of Maine, and New Mexico. And in July 2014, the West Virginia Board the inequities that influence public education. Principals and of Education approved a policy framework endorsing community teachers not only need to be able to lead and deliver instruction, schools for statewide implementation. they must be prepared to work more effectively with families, A number of other states, often at the behest of community community residents, and community partners. So too must the organizers, have already introduced or plan to introduce legislation mindset of community partners change. They need to under- this year to support community schools, including California, stand the culture of public schools, and as education allies, they Georgia, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, and Wiscon- must find effective ways to share their expertise. sin. (For more on legislative efforts in Texas, see the article on page Preparing Coordinators for Community Schools: Com- 12.) Passing bills will not be easy, but in the short term, introduc- munity school coordinators require interdisciplinary expertise ing legislation raises the visibility of the community school strat- in youth and community development, social work, and student egy and strengthens the foundation for future growth. To support learning, as well as data-driven decision making and strategic state efforts, the coalition is convening state-level community planning. To date, much of the preparation of these individuals school advocates in order to promote supportive policies, provide has been handled at the local level, with limited resources. Only technical assistance, and create a statewide peer learning group. the University of Chicago offers a comprehensive master’s-level Across the country, the widespread adoption of community schools shows great promise. The Way Forward program.23 Much greater attention must be given to how coor- Across the country, the widespread adoption of community dinators are prepared and to professionalizing their role as the schools shows great promise. The way forward is hopeful, but field grows. challenges as well as opportunities lie ahead. Providing More Extensive Support for Capacity Building: Viewing Our Young People Differently: A fundamental trans- There is a paucity of funding for capacity building of community formation in the way our society sees young people is necessary. schools, with minimal federal and state investment. While the Our society must view our youth as assets to be developed, not National Center for Community Schools at the Children’s Aid problems to be addressed.22 We must rebuild their trust in the Society provides assistance, as do other local and regional people around them and help them to develop the agency—the groups, the support of public and private funders is essential. sense of control over their own lives—so important to success. Becoming a Community School District: As more school Engaging Teachers and School Staff: Teachers and school districts and communities work to bring community schools to staff members, who all play an enormous role in helping to cre- scale, districts and community partners must consider ways to ate a safe school climate and culture, are becoming more deeply build and sustain their relationships. All partners must ask how involved in the planning and implementation of community they must change as an organization. schools. And they are making clear the importance of addressing Districts will need to answer questions such as: How must poverty, family stress, and other issues for success. data systems, leadership, professional development programs, But there is more work to do to engage teachers in school- facilities planning, and other practices change? How does the based decision making and in the nuts and bolts of community district integrate the assets of community partners into its school schools. With both the American Federation of Teachers and the improvement planning so that the work of educators and com- National Education Association strongly committed to commu- munity partners is aligned toward common results? How does nity schools, there is a significant opportunity to strengthen local it support principals and teachers in that endeavor? ties between teachers and community partners. (Continued on page 43) AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2015 9 Where It All Comes Together Endnotes Austin’s Community Schools (Continued from page 9) 1. Southern Education Foundation, A New Majority: (Continued from page 17) Low Income Students Now a Majority in the Nation’s Public Schools (Atlanta: Southern Education Foundation, A similar set of questions must be asked 2015). And so Weeks and Zarifis are using com- of community partners: How must their 2. Robert Putnam, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis munity dinners and other strategies funded (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015). policies, practices, and professional devel- by the grant to seed changes in Austin’s 3. For more on the concept of toxic stress, see “Key opment change to sustain a community Concepts: Toxic Stress,” Center on the Developing Child, other high-poverty schools. At these din- Harvard University, accessed July 9, 2015, www. school? The emerging experience of developingchild.harvard.edu/key_concepts/ ners, the two men, along with facilitators school districts and communities in tak- toxic_stress_response. from their organizations, ask parents, teach- 4. National Center for Education Statistics, “Fast Facts: ing community schools to scale provides ers, and students to join together in small English Language Learners,” accessed June 25, 2015, the foundation for a set of standards that www.nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=96. groups to answer three important ques- the coalition is currently developing. 5. Martin Blank and Amy Berg, All Together Now: Sharing tions: What do you like about your school? Responsibility for the Whole Child (Arlington, VA: Strengthening Leadership Networks: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, What does your school need in order to be 2006). The coalition now coordinates networks the school you want it to be? And what 6. Putnam, Our Kids. of community school leaders, superinten- resources would make that happen? 7. Coalition for Educational Justice, Community Schools & dents, community school coordinators, Mayor De Blasio: Preparing the Next Generation for College While transformations at both Webb and & Careers (New York: Coalition for Educational Justice, United Ways, higher education institu- Reagan resulted from times of crisis, Zarifis 2014). tions, and funders. Expanding the reach 8. Greg Worrell, “We Surveyed the 2015 State Teachers of says that the union and the district “want to of these networks to share lessons learned the Year,” edu@scholastic (blog), May 19, 2015, http:// move away from change born from crisis to edublog.scholastic.com/post/we-surveyed-2015-state- and broaden participation is crucial to teachers-year. change born from need.” To do so requires achieving the coalition’s goal of having 9. Communities In Schools, “National Survey of American asking communities what exactly they need. Teachers by Communities In Schools,” accessed July 1, 200 school systems and their communi- 2015, www.communitiesinschools.org/about/publications/ One night in April, about 50 people ties adopt a community school strategy in publication/national-survey-american-teachers. answer these questions at a community 10. National Opportunity to Learn Campaign, Restorative the next five years. dinner at J. J. Pickle Elementary School, Practices: Fostering Healthy Relationships & Promoting Investing in Our Children: Inequities Positive Discipline in Schools; A Guide for Educators one of the schools that feeds into Webb. (Cambridge, MA: National Opportunity to Learn Campaign, in school funding formulas in many 2014), 2. Parents, many of them Hispanic and a few states, and inadequate funding for critical 11. Anne T. Henderson, Karen L. Mapp, Vivian R. Johnson, African American, all of them pushing and Don Davies, Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential opportunities and supports (e.g., early strollers and carrying small children, file Guide to Family-School Partnerships (New York: New Press, childhood education, afterschool pro- 2007). into the gym for Pickle’s first community grams, and mental health services), are 12. Atelia Melaville, Reuben Jacobson, and Martin J. Blank, dinner—a meal of chicken and tortillas, Scaling Up School and Community Partnerships: The obvious to many education observers. Community Schools Strategy (Washington, DC: Coalition for and a chance to share their thoughts on the Community Schools, 2011). These funding gaps must be remedied at future of their school. 13. “B.A.M.—Becoming A Man,” Youth Guidance, accessed the federal, state, and local levels. A June 25, 2015, www.youth-guidance.org/our-programs/ After they eat, Weeks asks everyone to strong economy and equitable society b-a-m-becoming-a-man. split up into groups of Spanish speakers and 14. For more on this topic, see William R. Potapchuk, The require such investments. English speakers. Each group files into sepa- Role of Community Schools in Place-Based Initiatives: Collaborating for Student Success (Washington, DC: rate classrooms to discuss the three ques- U Coalition for Community Schools, 2013). ltimately, community schools tions Weeks had asked them to answer. 15. Kristin Anderson Moore, Making the Grade: Assessing benefit students, families, the Evidence for Integrated Student Supports (Bethesda, Children, supervised by staff members from MD: Child Trends, 2014). and teachers in three impor- Austin Voices for Education and Youth, stay 16. Anthony S. Bryk, Penny Bender Sebring, Elaine tant ways: They reduce the Allensworth, Stuart Luppescu, and John Q. Easton, behind in the gym to play and watch a movie. demand on educators and other school Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago In one classroom, several of Pickle’s (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010). staff by addressing the academic and teachers and Patricia Sewall, a parent, sit 17. Curt M. Adams, The Community School Effect: Evidence nonacademic challenges that students from an Evaluation of the Tulsa Area Community School in chairs arranged in a circle. As Gabriel Initiative (Tulsa: Oklahoma Center for Education Policy, bring to school. They nurture students’ 2010). Estrada, a youth and community facilitator social and emotional development. And 18. Mary E. Walsh, George F. Madaus, Anastasia E. Raczek, from Austin Voices, begins asking questions, et al., “A New Model for Student Support in High-Poverty they enable students and families to build and Bernard Klinke, an organizer from Edu- Urban Elementary Schools: Effects on Elementary and Middle social capital—the networks and rela- School Academic Outcomes,” American Educational cation Austin, records the group’s thoughts, Research Journal 51 (2014): 704–737. tionships that support learning and a teacher turns to Sewall. “I really appreciate 19. Linda S. Olson, A First Look at Community Schools in development, and that enable young Baltimore (Baltimore: Baltimore Education Research you being here,” she says. “I’m really sad Consortium, 2014), 12. people to envision and enjoy a successful more parents aren’t here. We don’t have 20. Laura Martinez and Cheryl D. Hayes, Measuring Social future. Return on Investment for Community Schools: A Case Study parent involvement.” In sum, the community school strategy (New York: Children’s Aid Society, 2013). Sewall explains that she listened to the 21. Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2014, H.R. 5168, is built on recognizing that the education voice mail message from the school telling 113th Cong. (2014). and development of our children is a 22. “40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents,” Search her about tonight’s event. “That’s why I’m shared responsibility. Only together can Institute, 2007, www.search-institute.org/content/ here,” she says and smiles. “I saved the mes- 40-developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18. schools and communities achieve posi- sage, too.” 23. “Community Schools Program and Curriculum,” School tive outcomes for young people and our of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Zarifis, the president of Education accessed July 8, 2015, www.ssa.uchicago.edu/ society. ☐ community-schools. Austin, nods. It’s a good start. ☐ AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2015 43