Community Schools: Key Strategy for Healthy Kids

Community Schools: Key Strategy for Healthy

KidsShital C. Shah

Assistant DirectorAmerican Federation of Teachers

What we can agree on…

• Home, school, and community all matter to a child’s education and development.

• We need strong teachers and principals that are supported by school systems.

• Accountability matters. • Public schools are central to our democratic society.• Fiscal stringency is the order of the day.• Schools and communities must work together for

the education of our children.

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What Matters in School?• Highly qualified teachers• Strong leadership• Rigorous and engaging curriculum• Motivated students• Positive school climate• Safety• Effective use of technology

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Health & Education Linkages: What Matters Beyond School? • Low birth-weight and non-genetic prenatal

influences on children;• Inadequate medical, dental, and vision care;• Asthma;• Physical activity; • Teen pregnancy;• Aggression and violenceSources: Berliner, David C. (2009). Poverty and Potential: Out-of-School Factors and School Success. Boulder and Tempe:

Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit. Retrieved [date] from http://epicpolicy.org/publication/poverty-and-potential

Charles Basch, Healthier Students are Better Learners. AS Research Initiative of the Campaign for Educational Equity. Teachers College, 2009

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So, What’s the Solution?

What is a Community School?

A school where:• The school and partners from across the community

come together to educate and support kids creating collective impact

• Community resources are strategically organized to support student success

• There is a focus on the whole child, integrating academics, services, supports and opportunities

• Oakland Unified Community School Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLt-FC3awuo&list=UUfjpuPCz1affRXHA3Z5kMCg

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What are educators

saying about community

schools?

http://bcove.me/g387031h

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Why are CS necessary? Creating the Conditions for Learning

• Early childhood development programs nurture early learning and development

• Qualified teachers, challenging curriculum, high standards, and high expectations

• Students are motivated and engaged• Students have increased learning opportunities • Physical, social, and emotional needs are met for youth and

families• Collaboration and respect between families and schools staff• The community is engaged in the school and promotes a

school climate that is safe, supportive, and respectful and that connects students to a broader learning community.

Key Principles

• Foster strong partnerships• Results-driven - shared accountability

for results• Align school and community assets and

expertise• Coordination• Set high expectations for all • Build on the community's strengths • Embrace diversity

Core Community School Elements

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Family and community engagement Increased learning opportunities Health and social services Engaging curriculum connected to real world

Early childhood development

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Health Services in Community Schools

• Vision care• Mental health counseling (for students

and families)• Dental care• Immunizations• Health education & programming (dance

classes, health eating, etc.)• Community gardens• Peer health promotion

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What Happens in a Community School?

Shared Focus on ResultsEnsuring students are:• Attending regularly • Achieving academically• Engaged and motivated—civically and

academically• Healthy—physically, emotionally, mentallyFamilies and Communities:• Involved and supportive of children and their

education.• Working together• Creating a safe environment for all involved• Make the community a more desirable place

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Community Schools are Producing Results

• Student gains in academic achievement and non-academic development widely evident;

• Parent/family participation seen as instrumental to children’s success;

• Schools have stronger staff and parent relationships, improved school climate and greater community support;

• Community is stronger – improved safety and connections among people.

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Student Academic Outcomes • Cincinnati, OH - students receiving any opportunity or support service

including tutoring, mentoring, college access, or after-school activities saw, on average, a 5.6 point increase in their reading scores from 2009-2010 to the 2010-2011 school year and a 4.6 point advance in math. This was in marked contrast to the 2.0 gain in reading and the 1.8 point gain in math among students who did not receive services. Cincinnati was also the first urban school district in Ohio to receive an effective rating and is the highest rated urban school district in the state.

• Tulsa Area, OK Community Schools TACSI students significantly outperformed comparison students in math by 32 points and in reading by 19 points in schools where the community school model was implemented most successfully.

• Hartford, CT - Schools showed gains in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 test scores, and 2010-2011 scores remained steady. Afterschool participants demonstrated steady or greater increase in proficiency levels from 2009 through 2011, compared to non-participants.

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Non-Academic Outcomes• An analysis of report cards in 11 K-5 City Connects (CCNX) schools in

Boston MA, showed that CCNX students significantly outperformed students in comparative schools in academic work effort across grades 3-5 and had significantly better work habits by grade 5.

• In a national evaluation of Communities in Schools (CIS), teachers indicated that CIS has a positive effect on their performance in the classroom by contributing to students’ classroom preparation and fostering positive attitudes toward learning.

• In South King County, WA, 60% of students identified as needing help increased their class participation, attention and motivation; three quarters improved their academic performance over the course of the year. Student and teacher feedback indicated that programs help students feel safe and supported, foster a sense of belonging; and provide middle and high school students with opportunities to lead and mentor

Rules of Engagement for Schools & Partners

• Learn “school”• Ally with other partners in the school• Align the work of partners and the school

toward common results.• Be represented on the school leadership

team. • Build structures > cultures > high

expectations

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The Community Schools Advantage

• Garner additional resources and reduce the demands on school staff

• Provide learning opportunities that develop both academic and non-academic competencies

• Build social capital — the networks and relationships that support learning and create opportunities for young people while strengthening their communities

CS Across America– Albuquerque, NM– Baltimore, MD– Chicago, IL– Cincinnati, OH– Hartford, CT– Kansas City, MO– McDowell County, WV– Multnomah County, OR (Portland)– Nashville, TN– New York City, NY– Philadelphia, PA– San Francisco, CA– Tukwila, WA– Tulsa, OK– Many more places…there are over 80 systems across the

country

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How do you finance this strategy?

1. Resources (financial & human capital) support & strengthen learning

2. District dollars leveraged 3:13. Collaborative leadership at site and system

levels support finances4. Public and private partners expand capacity5. Coordination leverages capacity at minimal

cost

Financing Community Schools

1) Community schools use the bulk of their resources to directly assist schools in meeting their core instructional mission, while also strengthening the health and well-being of students, families and neighborhoods.

Finding 1:Most money supports learning

2) Diversified funding in community schools leverages district dollars 3:1.

Finding 2:District dollars leveraged 3:1

Educational Streams Title I SIG – Title I School Improvement Dollars 1003 G – School Improvement Dollars Special Education Title II – Professional Development Title III – English as a Second Language Title IV – Safe and Drug Free Schools 21st Century Community Learning Centers Full Service Community Schools Grant Carol M. White Physical Education Grant Safe Schools / Healthy Students McKinney Vento Homeless Grant Even Start General Fund

Non-Educational Public Streams Local Sources

◦ City General Fund◦ County General Fund◦ Special Levies (Children’s Levies, etc.)

State Sources◦ Children’s Services◦ Housing & Community Services (emergency housing programs, etc.)◦ Energy Assistance Programs

Federal Sources◦ USDA CACFP (afterschool & suppers) & Summer lunch◦ Housing and Urban Development (HUD)◦ Community Services Block Grant◦ Energy Assistance & Weatherization Funding◦ SAMHSA◦ Head Start◦ TANF & Child Care $

Private Funding Streams United Way Businesses/Corporations (including Hospitals) Foundations

Community Foundations Grantmakers in Education Other Foundations

Universities Fees

WVBE Policy 2425: Community Schools

Paula Fields, Community Schools Coordinator

NEW Policy Titled: COMMUNITY SCHOOLS: PROMOTING HEALTH,

SAFETY AND WELLBEING FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF STUDENTS

(Policy 2425)*

*Public comment closed June 16, 2014. Slated for approval on the July 9, 2014 WVBE Agenda.

The Objectives of the Community Schools Policy • to provide a framework for schools as they work

to address the complex needs of students. • to recognize the needs and understand that

schools cannot meet students’ needs alone . . . schools must engage the community to ensure that all students’ and family needs are addressed so they can be healthy and ready to learn.

• has been prepared as a positive for county boards to embrace without mandates.

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Resource Guide

Potential Funding

• Innovation Zone Grant• School Improvement Grants

Paula Fields, Coordinator Community SchoolsWVDE Office of Special [email protected]

Resources

• Visit AFT’s Community School page: –http://www.aft.org/issues/schoolrefor

m/commschools/index.cfm• Visit the Coalition for Community

Schools: www.communityschools.org