Individual Community School
Award for Excellence
Dear Friends,
The purpose of the Individual Community School award is to highlight the effectiveness and
efficiency of local community schools that are organizing community resources to improve results for
young people as well as their families and communities.
Eligibility:
Schools that have been operating as a community school for at least 3 full years (opened/operating as
a community school since at least September 2011) and have demonstrated success. Please note,
applicants are not required to call themselves a “community school” (terms such as community
learning centers, full service community schools and others are often used); however, they must meet
the criteria listed in the application.
Award:
Each winning school will receive $2,500. Up to three schools will be recognized.
Instructions:
All applications must be submitted online using this form. We recommend that you use the application
in Word to review and respond to the questions and only then transfer the information into the online
form.
The application is comprised of the following sections:
- Community School Nomination Form
- Narrative Questions
If necessary, you may include up to five supporting documents or links in an email to
naviaskyh@iel.org with the subject "School Awards: Name of School."
Applications are due on January 30, 2015. No late entries past 11:59pm EST will be accepted. The
Coalition will organize a jury of community school leaders to review all applications and select
awardees.
Awards Event
Mark your calendars for Community Schools Education Day for June 10 -11, 2015. All awardees will
be expected to participate. Awardees will have the opportunity to share their work with policy makers
and Coalition partners.
For more questions, please reach out to Heather Naviasky at 202-822-8405, ext. 111 or
naviaskyh@iel.org
Best Wishes,
Martin Blank
Coalition for Community Schools
Institute for Educational Leadership
COMMUNITY SCHOOL NOMINATION FORM
Screening Criteria
The Coalition for Community Schools encourages nominations from any school that meets the
selection criteria outlined below. Schools are not required to call themselves a “community school”
(terms such as community learning centers, full service community schools and others, are often
used); however, they must meet the criteria below.
*Note: past award winners may not apply again
Are you a Community School? (All boxes must be selected to be considered for the award)
 A set of desired results drives the work of the school and its community.
 Partnerships are in place with one of the following: government agencies, institutions of higher
education, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, and/or parent/family
groups.
 A coordination mechanism, ideally a full-time community school coordinator, is in place to
guide the work of the community school. (Note: community school coordinators may also be
referred to as – site coordinators, resource coordinators, etc.)
 A site-based leadership team that includes key stakeholders: the principal, the community
school coordinator, teachers, families, residents, and community partners is in place.
 The community school has been operating for a minimum of 3 years.
School Information
(Please fill in the following information)
School Name & Address







School Name
Address
City
State
Zip
Telephone
Email Address
Date Started as Community School (Month/Day/Year)
Principal Information
 Principal’s Name
 Telephone
 Email Address
Coordinator Information





Coordinator’s Name
Coordinator’s Title
Coordinator’s Employer (e.g. school, community organization, or both)
Coordinator’s Telephone
Coordinator’s Email Address
Nominating Individual (if different from above)





Name
Position
Organization
Telephone
Email Address
School Profile
(Please fill in the following information)
Type of School





Regular Public School
Public Charter School
Magnet School
Alternative School
Other, please specify
Grade Levels (please check all that apply)















Pre K or younger
K
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
12+
Location of School (Please select the description that best fits your school)
 Urban
 Suburban
 Rural
Number of Students in the School
Percentage of Students by Racial Background






African American
Asian
Caucasian
Hispanic
Native American
Other
Percentage of ELL Students
Percentage of Special Education Students
Does Title I support your Community School?
 Title I school wide
 Title I targeted
 No Title I
Percentage of Students Eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch
Student Mobility Rate (based on your local or state definition)
Total number of Languages Spoken. Please also list your top 5 languages spoken.
NARRATIVE QUESTIONS,
The following is an outline of the rubric that will be used to evaluate your application. Use the
Coalition’s framework for Scaling Up Community Schools as background as you complete your
application.
- Results (30 points)
- Alignment with Core Mission of the School - Engaged Instruction and Expanded Learning
Opportunities (15 points)
- Commitment to Equity (10 points)
- Public and Private Partnerships (10 points)
- Family and Community Engagement (10 points)
- Coordination (10 points)
- Finance and Sustainability (15 points)
Elevator Speech
Community schools are vehicles that enable schools and communities to connect, collaborate, and
get better results for their young people. Children gain access to enriching learning opportunities and
supports they need and deserve, and families and the community are engaged. Communities and
schools leverage their shared physical and human assets to help students succeed. Please find our
full definition, here!
With this in mind, please tell us your elevator speech for your community school. What are the top
three things you would want to highlight? If selected, this description will be used in related materials.
(Max 300 characters)
Results (30 points)
Description: The community school has identified the results it seeks to achieve and the indicators it
will use to measure progress toward those results (a results based framework). The community
school demonstrates progress toward achieving these results. We are interested in improved results
for students (academic, social, emotional, physical, and civic) as well as for families and the
community over time.
What results are you seeking?
How does the process of selecting results work?
How are educators and community partners aligning their efforts to achieve the desired results?
What progress have you made moving the needle on the results you want to see? Think about the
results you want to see at the student, family, and community levels. Please be as specific as possible
(e.g. changes in reading and math scores, parent involvement, improved health, numbers of students
participating in summer learning), and be sure to talk about the results at each level.
Alignment with Core Mission of Schools - Engaged Instruction and Expanded Learning
Opportunities (15 Points)
Description: The school improvement plan (SIP) reflects the results that educators and community
partners seek. It includes a strategy to support academic instruction through partnerships, and expand
learning opportunities beyond the school day and in summer that are well integrated with the
curriculum. Learning focuses on real world issues. It employs project base learning and connects
students with internships, service learning, and/or community based projects. Teachers work in
tandem with the coordinator and partners.
Please describe how your SIP aligns partnerships with the school’s core curriculum. Discuss the
relationship between partners and teachers.
Commitment to Equity (10 Points)
Description: Community schools go above and beyond to make sure all students, especially our most
vulnerable, have equitable access to good teachers, a strong curriculum, and the other supports they
need to succeed. They have developed a purposeful strategy that addresses other factors such as,
inequities in suspensions and expulsions, health access, and availability of highly qualified teachers.
What steps is your school taking to address specific inequities in your school and community that
diminish student’s chances for success?
Public and Private Partnerships (10 Points)
Description: The community school has developed purposeful and effectively managed partnerships
with other organizations (e.g., local government, community based organizations, faith-based
organizations, higher education institutions, businesses, etc.) that are well-integrated in the life of the
school.
How many partners do you have?
Please list your partners.
Describe your approach to integrating partners into the school.
Describe two of your most active partners and explain what opportunities and supports they provide to
your school, and what results they are seeking.
Family and Community Engagement - (10 Points)
Description: The school is engaged in systematic efforts to involve, engage and collaborate with
families and its community.
Tell us what methods you are using to engage families more deeply in the education of their children.
Describe both their involvement in decision making about the community school as well as particular
programs.
Coordination (10 Points)
Description: A strategy for coordinating the work of educators and community partners is in place. It
typically includes:
School Site Leadership Team: Families, Principals, teachers, community residents, and
community partners are involved in decision making at the community school. This School Site
Leadership Team allows leaders in community schools to define shared results they seek and
jointly develop strategies and programs to achieve them. Please review the Collaborative
Leadership Structure here.
Community School Coordinator: Responsible for creating, strengthening, and maintaining
connections between the school and community. Coordinators facilitate and provide
leadership for the collaborative process and for the development of a continuum of
opportunities and supports for children, families and community members. Ideally, but not
always, the coordinator is a full-time staff member. The coordinator is a core member of the
school’s leadership team.
Describe the key functions and elements of your School Site Leadership Team. Name at least one
key challenge it has addressed successfully.
Describe teachers’ roles and work of the community school coordinator. Highlight their relationship
with the principal and partners and describe their key accomplishments.
Finance and Sustainability (15 Points)
Description: The school has the leadership, resources and policies in place to sustain the community
school strategy and supports.
How is your community school financed? Include and identify school, community, in-kind,
philanthropic and other sources you use.
How will your community school be sustained? (e.g. financially, politically)
Other Information:
If there is anything else you would like the reviewers to know about your community school, please tell
us below. You may use this space to include links to relevant documents.
If necessary, you may include a total of up to five supporting documents in an email
to naviaskyh@iel.org with the subject "School Awards: Name of School"