Community Schools & Enterprise
International Centre of Excellence for
Community Schools
Chris Jones
Executive Director
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This workshop
There will be three
sections:
• Brief presentations
• Introduction to
International Quality
Standards for
Community Schools
• Activity about
partnership
• Presentations
• Chris Jones, Executive
Director of ICECS
• Jane Quinn, Children’s
Aid Society, USA
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The Community Schools context
Children starting school
today will be retiring in
2075. What will the world
look like then?
New technology
Migration - one in every 35
people is an international
migrant.
Economic restructuring and
the global economy
Environmental change
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Our children in the future
What does this mean for
children in the future?
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Competitive edge
Transferable life skills
Entrepreneurship
Open to new cultures
Health literacy
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Community Schools: an institutional
response
55 countries
Local focus points e.g.,citizenship
and democracy, raising standards
and achievement, gaining
community support for education
Eastern Europe, central Asia and
Russia network
Coalition for Community Schools
in USA
National network in Canada
Sub Saharan Network – Zambia,
Namibia, Botswana, South Africa,
Zimbabwe
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UK schools: common practice and
part of inspection
Engagement of parents
Leadership training and
support
Open to the wider
community
Partnerships
Variety of teaching methods
After school provision and
access to childcare
Policies and procedures for
inclusion, safeguarding
children
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International Centre of Excellence for
Community Schools
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Information and advice
Training
Resources
Access to highly skilled
people in many countries
– leadership, partnership,
social inclusion, school
culture, lifelong learning,
curriculum development
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Community Schools in the US
• Viewed as a strategy, not a program
• A strategy for organizing school and
community resources around student
success
• At least 90 cities and districts in the US
are currently implementing this strategy
as a school improvement approach
• Unlike the UK, schools in the US are
governed locally (not nationally)
The “Developmental Triangle" Concept
Community
Family
Child
COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT SERVICES
Several well-known US models:
 Beacons (7 cities)
 Bridges to Success (United Way)
 Children’s Aid Society Community Schools
 Communities in Schools (national)
 Elev8 (Atlantic Philanthropies—4 cities)
 Healthy Start (California)
 Schools of the 21st Century (Yale U.)
 University-Assisted (U. of Pennsylvania)
Underlying Research Base
 Making the Most of
Non-School Time
• Reginald Clark
• Milbrey McLaughlin
• Deborah Vandell
 Whole Child Approach/
Application of
Developmental
Knowledge
• Jacquelynne Eccles
• James Comer
 Parents’ Active Role
• Epstein (six types)
• Henderson and Mapp
 Coordinated Services
 Health-Learning Links
• Charles Basch
 Consistent Adult
Guidance & Support
• Werner/Benard
(resilience theory)
• Fritz Ianni
Newest Research
New research from Chicago (Bryk et al.) found
five essential ingredients:
 Principal: driver of change; inclusive
leadership approach
 Real family and community engagement
 Ability to build professional capacity
 Student-centered school climate
 Coherent curriculum
Key Ingredients
 Education is First (Overall Goal = Student
Success)
 Lead Agency as Partner, Not Tenant
 Full-Time Presence of Lead Agency
 Joint Planning (Particularly between Principal
and CS Coordinator)
 Integration of CS Staff into Governance and
Decision-Making Bodies (e.g., School
Leadership Team)
Key Program Components
 After-School and Summer Enrichment
 Parent Involvement
 Adult Education
 Medical, Dental, Mental Health and Social
Services
 Early Childhood
 Community and Economic Development
CCS Research Report 2013
 Recent report from Coalition for Community
Schools summarizes latest research from
across the United States
 Key results include improved academic
performance, improved attendance, higher
graduation rates, improved behavior, positive
youth development, greater parental
involvement
Complete agreement on Standards we
regard as common to all good practice
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Leadership
Partnership
Social inclusion
Services
Volunteering
Lifelong learning
Community development
Parent engagement
School culture
Piloted in 18 schools now
being used in thousands
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Self assessment school development
school
Not an inspection tool
Can be used to gather evidence to show
inspectors what the schools does
Not a picture of what is, but a guide to what
might be
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Partnership
We share decisions with partner agencies including community organizations
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From the start we plan initiatives together with partners, parents and pupils
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We include the experience of junior teachers, pupils, parents, community organizations when we design new initiatives
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We share information with partners so that they can make informed decisions
We take joint initiatives with partners
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We share the responsibility and the risks for any initiatives we take
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We share the rewards of successful initiatives
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We promote and support the actions which are allocated to our partners
We pool resources with partners for some initiatives to benefit the community and/or the curriculum
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When feasible we put our resources into a joint fund to support a joint initiative
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When feasible we offer the expertise of our staff for the implementation of joint initiatives
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Where possible we include real life examples from business or the community in the contents of our teaching programs
We have a written agreement setting out how we will work together
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We know exactly how we will work with partners on each new initiative
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Everyone is clear about who is taking the lead on which actions
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We honour the agreement
We promote and support each other’s activities
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We include information about our partners in any publications, websites, reports etc as appropriate
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We acknowledge the contribution made by partners in publicity, reports etc
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We encourage community members to participate in the activities provided by partners
We participate in local, regional and national networks of Community Schools
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Whenever possible we attend networking events so that we can disseminate our work to a wider audience and to acquire new skills and knowledge
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We inform other Community Schools about our work by sending them newsletters or other appropriate communications
Our facilities are available for community use after school, at weekends and during school holidays
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Our facilities are available to all groups and individuals regardless of their class, gender, age (as appropriate), sexual orientation, religion or ethnicity or their ability to
pay
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We make a special effort to ensure that individuals and groups who cannot afford to pay for the use of our facilities can access them
We work with others to solve community issues
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The school participates in solving problems that are affecting the community
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The community is encouraged to participate in solving problems that are affecting the school
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The school is willing to participate in activities initiated by other agencies where this will help solve problems in the community
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Presenter Contact Information
• Chris Jones, Executive Director, International
Centre of Excellence for Community Schools,
chris@cejassociates.co.uk
• Jane Quinn, Director, National Center for
Community Schools, The Children’s Aid
Society, janeq@childrensaidsociety.org