|
Community schools can be a successful strategy for improving schools under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), according to a policy brief released by the National Education Policy Center and the Learning Policy Institute. The brief, Community Schools: An Evidence-Based Strategy for Equitable School Improvement, finds that community schools, an increasingly popular school improvement strategy, are strongly supported by research evidence, as required by ESSA.
|
Community schools, which feature integrated student supports, expanded learning time, family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership, can be a successful strategy for improving schools under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). That’s the conclusion of this research review, based on an analysis of over 100 studies. This brief, published jointly by the Learning Policy Institute and the National Education Policy Center, discusses the four key features of community schools and offers guidance to support school, district, and state leaders as they consider or implement a community school intervention strategy in schools targeted for comprehensive support.
|
Community schools serve as a neighborhood hub, where both students and their families can receive medical, dental, and psychological services and other supports in partnership with local organizations. Research shows that such schools can have an outsized impact, including cutting the achievement gap and absentee rates.
|
The new Every Student Succeeds Act offers states flexibility to create new approaches to school accountability and to design appropriate interventions for schools in need of assistance. This brief provides an overview of four commonly used interventions that, when well implemented, have been shown to increase opportunities and improve performance, particularly for historically underserved students. It also identifies the conditions under which they have been effective.
Effective school design can support the whole child by providing high-quality academic learning, promoting strong interpersonal relationships, and offering authentic and culturally sustaining instruction.
Advances in education policy are needed to mitigate the systemic disparities that prevent many Black, Indigenous, and other children of color from accessing a high-quality, empowering education.
Evidence shows that adequate and equitable financing of public schools improves a range of outcomes for all students, yet disparities in school funding shortchange many children in the United States.
To help inform California’s systemic shifts towards whole child education, the Learning Policy Institute provides critical and timely research across several key issue areas.
A whole child education prioritizes the full scope of a child’s developmental needs to advance equity and ensure that every child reaches their fullest potential.
Findings from the science of learning and development contain powerful lessons for improving education to help every student access opportunities and reach their full potential.
