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Many states are considering community schools as a way to address student mental health and chronic absenteeism and support learning recovery. Aided by the federal Full-Service Community Schools grant program, states can support systemic approaches to expand community schools by leveraging a range of federal, state, local, and private funds.
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Using federal, state, and local funding sources, Buena Vista Horace Mann K–8 Community School’s approach supports students’ physical and emotional well-being in myriad ways, including offering the school as an overnight shelter for families experiencing homelessness.
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In 2021, the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) was launched to support the implementation of community schools across the state. The UCLA Center for Community Schooling provides a first glance at the progress of approximately 450 schools that are supported through CCSPP implementation grants.
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In a growing number of neighborhoods and school districts across the U.S., community schools are transforming public education for the better and providing a strategy for helping to tackle our country's most serious problems, including extreme inequality and racial injustice.
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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.
