Welcome to Community Schools, a monthly email newsletter highlighting public schools using the “community school” approach to empower parents, students, educators, and their communities—produced by In the Public Interest.
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Teen Vogue covered the community school movement! “The concept of a community school, which has been around for more than a century, is quite simple,” writes journalist Mary Retta. “Any public school can become a community school if the school board, students, parents, and faculty collectively commit to being involved not only in a child’s education but also in meeting all of a student’s needs.” Teen Vogue
Teachers want more community schools. A report from American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Teacher and School Staff Shortage Task Force includes “investing in thousands of community schools” as a way to solve shortages and revitalize the profession of teaching. Other ways include lowering class sizes and expanding collective bargaining. American Federation of Teachers
Can community schools rescue a “troubled” district? Journalist Jeff Bryant writes about how the community school approach could help the school district in Prince George’s County in Maryland, if only the district adopted the approach’s full array of principles, especially those related to collaboration and shared leadership. AlterNet
California is betting big. Kyle Stokes writes for The LAist: “It’s easy to walk around UCLA Community School and lose yourself in the question: why don’t all schools look like this?” LAist
Lake Placid takes the plunge. New York’s Lake Placid Central School District is kickstarting a community schools program after months of planning and anticipation. “Every little thing that we can do to help a family incrementally helps a student become more successful and engaged in school,” said the district’s superintendent. Adirondack Daily Enterprise
What superintendents think. The Brookings Institution talked to superintendents from rural and small-town districts about how the community school approach is transforming their schools. Brookings
Photo by Neeta Lind.