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Five U.S. school districts have been recognized for their efforts to provide high-quality services to students experiencing homelessness. The districts use multipronged approaches to identify these students, as well as fund and staff the programs that support them.
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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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Exclusionary discipline (suspension and expulsion) increases risks of student misbehavior, dropout, and incarceration—and Black students are 4 times more likely than White students to experience such discipline. An alternative to exclusionary discipline, restorative practices address root causes of misbehavior and can improve academic, disciplinary, and school climate measures and reduce racial disparities.
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Findings from hundreds of studies indicate that evidence-based SEL programs improve students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes at all grade levels and for all students. To successfully implement SEL, schools and educators need support by state and district infrastructures that advance whole child development.
Daniel EspinozaMichael GriffithDion BurnsPatrick M. Shields
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In 2019–20, 1.3 million U.S. students were identified as experiencing homelessness, yet efforts to support them are underfunded and inaccessible—for example, most districts serving these students don’t receive federal funds to assist them. Policy changes can help remove barriers and provide these students with the equitable education they deserve.
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Expanding beyond standard college applications, which often reflect disparities in the education system, the Ross School of Business added a student-generated portfolio component in 2016. The school shows an example of how to move beyond traditional admissions to build a diverse and college-ready class.
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Performance assessments provide students with authentic ways to demonstrate learning, cultivate academic knowledge and 21st-century skills, and prepare for college-level work. School, district, and network leaders should use quality criteria to examine their performance-based assessment policies and structures to foster deeper learning for all students.
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While community schools vary in the programs they offer and the ways they operate, four features—or pillars—appear in most community schools: integrated student supports, expanded learning time and opportunities, family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership and practice. These infographics examine each pillar to provide a look at community schools in action.