Community Schools 101:
The Nuts & Bolts of Community Schools
Abe Fernández & Sarah Jonas
“We ignore family, community
and the economy at our peril
in education reform.”
Paul Barton
Educational Testing Service
Community Schools 101
By the end of this session, participants will:
 Be able to refer to several definitions of a
community school
 Understand the four capacities and have
examples of each from the field
 Assess the developmental stage of their
community school(s)
 Know how to use Stages of Development to
inform their CS planning
A Strategy, Not a Program
A strategy for organizing the
resources of the community
around student success…
Pat Harvey, Former Superintendent
St. Paul Public Schools
What is a Community School?
A community school is both a place and a
set of partnerships between the school
and other community resources. Its
integrated focus on academics, services,
supports and opportunities leads to
improved student learning, stronger
families and healthier communities.
Coalition for Community Schools
Another Definition…
A Community School is characterized by:
Extended Services
 Extended Hours
 Extended Relationships

CAS Developmental Triangle
services that remove barriers to learning
• physical health
• dental health
• mental health
• social services
Several well-known models:
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Beacons
Bridges to Success
Children’s Aid Society
Communities in Schools
Healthy Start
Polk Brothers Full-Service Schools
Schools of the 21st Century (Yale University)
WEPIC (University of Pennsylvania)
Critical Capacities
Effective community schools continually
develop a set of four key capacities:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Comprehensiveness
Collaboration
Coherence
Commitment
1. Comprehensiveness
Programs, services and opportunities respond to a
wide spectrum of identified needs by marshalling
a full complement of partnership resources
Whole Child Developmental Approach
 Needs Assessment & Resource Allocation
 Asset-based, High-quality Program
Development
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2. Collaboration
All stakeholders are involved in meaningful,
permanent roles – including educators, parents,
students, funders, community members,
providers, policymakers
Engagement
 Partnership Development
 Shared Leadership
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Kent School Services Network
Leadership Team
• Shared Vision
• Policy Alignment
• Resource Development
Kent County Admin, School District
Leadership, Kent Health Dep’t, DHS,
Network 180, Spectrum Health,
Major Donors, Kent ISD, DA
Blodgett
Systemic Managers
• Partner Coordination
• Protocol Development
• Data Sharing
KSSN Project Director, Agency
Managers, School District
Managers, Site Supervisors,
Program & Service Provider
Managers
School-Based Teams
Evaluation
(PPA)
• Needs Assessments
• Implementation
• Outcomes
Technical
Assistance
(CAS)
Principal, Community School
Coordinator, School Staff,
Teachers, Providers, DHS Staff,
Partners, Parents, Community
Members
3. Coherence
Activities and programs are coordinated and
integrated with effective management and
accountability
Program Integration and Oversight
 School/Partner Relationships
 Coordination
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Chronic Early Absence
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Chronic early absence occurs when K-3rd graders
miss 10% or more days (nearly a month) in a school
year including excused and unexcused absences.
National research found that this level of school
absence was associated with lower academic
performance, truancy and dropout, delinquency and
substance abuse.
Hedy Chang
4. Commitment
Sustainability planning activities are employed
from the start
Shared Vision and Results Framework
 Building Public Will and Participation
 Strategic Financing
 Evaluation and Capacity-Building
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Community Schools
Let’s talk commitment
Lisa Villarreal,
Program Officer for Education
San Francisco Foundation
Shared Vision and Results
• What expectations do funders have
for community schools?
• How are community schools
leveraging funding streams and
sources to fund this work?
Building Public Will and
Participation
• What role can advocacy play in the
sustainability of community schools?
• Are there examples to learn from?
• How do you market a strategy?
Evaluation
• What data should community schools
collect and report on to position
themselves for more funding and
broad community support?
Capacity Building
• What skills/capacities are generally
lacking in the community schools field
that, if developed, would advance the
movement?
The Moral Imperative for
Community Schools
“I have the audacity to believe that peoples
everywhere can have three meals a day for
their bodies, education and culture for their
minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for
their spirits. …our lives begin to end the day
we become silent about things that
matter”~ Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.
Stages of Development in a
Community School
Exploring
Emerging
Maturing
Excelling
Self-Assessment
Working in pairs, discuss the following:
1. Which capacity would you most like to
further develop?
2. What actions could you take to move to
the next stage within that capacity?
Action Planning
through the Stages
LESS
IMPORTANT
EASIER
HARDER
MORE
IMPORTANT
Quick
Wins
Core
Strategy
William Potapchuk
Final Words:
Our Three Mantras
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It’s all about relationships
Everything has to be negotiated—all
the time
For community schools to work, the
partners have to have the word
“yes” written in their hearts
nationalcenterforcommunityschools.org