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After nearly five years of community school implementation, supported by an infusion of state funds, a consortium of small rural districts in California’s Kern County is seeing significant academic growth and attendance rates far higher than the county average.
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UCLA Community School (UCLA-CS), a public school in central Los Angeles, serves a large immigrant population, almost all of whom use a language other than English to communicate with their families. Six key practices contribute to UCLA-CS’s positive school-level outcomes, including above average graduation rates and teacher retention.
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At Oakland International High School, all students are newcomers, meaning they have been in the United States for fewer than 3 years. Most students are English learners, and many have experienced interruptions in their schooling. Oakland International leverages community school structures and partnerships to support students’ success.
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Although community schools have existed for 100-plus years, they have evolved over time to become a highly effective, research-based approach that improves education and equity.
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In a comprehensive list, LPI policy experts outline how community schools can utilize a variety of federal programs with approximately $366 billion in available funding to provide services and advance whole child approaches to education.
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In the aftermath of the pandemic, as many children and youth are struggling with mental health and to reengage in learning, a growing chorus of people are calling for community schools as an approach to reinvent education to better serve students, educators, and families.
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California has invested billions in community schools strategies in the past several years. In addition to leveraging these state funds, blending and braiding local, state, and federal funding sources may help to sustainably finance a community schools strategy in the long term.
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Infrastructure at Oakland Unified School District helped to successfully implement a community schools approach by centralizing processes and systems and providing support for family engagement and professional learning and development.
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Oakland Unified School District's long-standing community schools initiative offers lessons for districts implementing a community schools strategy, illustrating an approach focused on integrating whole child educational practices and providing sustained support through centralized district infrastructure.
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Examining how Oakland Unified School District successfully implemented a community schools approach, researchers found structures that support effective partnerships, Coordination of Services Teams, community school managers, professional learning and development, and family engagement.
