August 2006
As we develop collaborations in our systems of care community, are there other community building strategies that have focused on the schools?
Community Schools is one of those approaches. In a community school setting, youth, families and community residents come together as equal partners with schools and other community institutions to develop programs and services in five areas:
- Quality education – challenging curricula and instruction help all children to achieve academic success and use all the community assets as resources for learning;
- Youth development – young people serve as resources to their communities by developing their assets and talents and forming positive relationships with peers and adults;
- Family support – individual strengths and family life are enhanced by family resource centers, childhood development programs and coordinated health and social services;
- Family and community engagement – family and community members are actively engaged in designing, supporting, monitoring and advocating quality activities in the school and community, and;
- Community development – strengthening social networks and improving the economic viability and physical infrastructure of the surrounding community are the focus of all participants.
Background
The concept of community schools is not a new one. In the late 1800s, “settlement houses” were developed offering a wide range of opportunities for neighborhood residents. The early 1900s initiated the exploration of making the settlement opportunities available in public schools thereby making schools the social centers for communities. The work of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in Flint, Michigan was the catalyst for the development of a formal community education movement, which gained national visibility in the 1930s.
During the past decade, there has been a substantial increase in the number of school-community initiatives that are steeped in tradition and share core principles such as fostering strong partnerships, sharing accountability for results, setting high expectations for everyone, building on community strengths, embracing diversity and resisting “cookie cutter” and “one size fits all” solutions. Although each principle is critical, only one stands out among them: Community schools foster strong partnerships. Community schools represent a commitment of partners that coalesces around a shared mission of improving the community by improving the lives of children and families.
This development of strong partnerships is exactly the work we are trying to do in our system of care communities. For those sites that are partnering with schools or school based initiatives, this approach may be helpful.
Below is a list of resources for more information about the community schools movement.
Reports
Why Rural Matters: The facts about rural education in the 50 states. Rural School and Community Trust. May, 2005. www.ruraledu.org
Reframing Education: The partnership strategy and public schools. A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. September 2005.
School Connectedness: Improving students’ lives. John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. www.jhsph.edu/mci
Schools as Centers of Community: A citizen’s guide for planning and design. www.edfacilities.org
The Power of the Partnership. US Department of Housing and Urban Development. www.huduser.org
Other Useful Websites
www.afterschoolalliance.org
www.ncea.com – National Community Education Association
www.nlns.org – New Leaders for New Schools
www.youthservices.net – web-based attendance tracking system for out-of-school time programs
Thanks to Gwen Willis-Darpoh at AIR for sharing these resources.
