The Coalition for Community Schools, housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership, is an alliance of national, state and local organizations in education K-16, youth development, community planning and development, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy as well as national, state and local community school networks. Community schools are both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. There are a number of national models and local community school initiatives that share a common set of principles: fostering strong partnerships, sharing accountability for results, setting high expectations, building on the community’s strengths, and embracing diversity and innovative solutions. For more information on community schools,
contact us.
Work of the Coalition for Community Schools is made possible through the generous supported of The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Stuart Foundation, and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
Staff:
Maame Ameyaw
Manager, Operations and Partnerships
Martin J. Blank
President, Institute for Educational Leadership
Director, Coalition for Community Schools
Mary Kingston
Public Policy Manager
Reuben Jacobson
Senior Associate for Research & Strategy
Shama Jamal
National Policy Emerson Fellow
Heather Naviasky
Program Associate
Maame Ameyaw
Manager, Operations and Partnerships
ameyawm@iel.org
Maame joined the IEL staff in January of 2007. She is primarily responsible for partnership development and management, and day-to-day operations, including financial and programmatic management, as well as development activities for the Coalition.
Maame's experience includes interning for Michigan State Representative Barbara Farrah in the spring of 2005, where she worked on the district's bi-weekly newsletter, managed the database, and acted as the first contact for constituent relations. She has also been an after-school community service leader at an elementary school, and has volunteered for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, various women's organizations—including interning with the Women's Campaign Forum, mentoring youth and serving on various national planning committees for education/health groups.
Maame received her B.A. in Political Science from Michigan State University. She is also a graduate of the George Washington University Event Management program, and an alumni of IEL's Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).
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Martin J. Blank is the President of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) in Washington, DC. He leads IEL in its efforts to build the capacity of people, organizations and systems -- in education and related fields -- to cross boundaries and work together to attain better results for children and youth. Marty has been associated with IEL since 1985, focusing his work on building bridges between schools and other institutions with assets that can support student success.
Marty also serves as the Director of the Coalition for Community Schools, which is staffed by the Institute for Educational Leadership. The Coalition is an alliance that brings together leaders and organizations in education, family support, youth development early childhood, community development, government and philanthropy. Partners advocate for schools as centers of their communities where school and community resources are organized to support student success, strengthen families and build healthier communities.
Marty is the co-author of
Making the Difference: Research and Practice in Community Schools and Together We Can: A Guide for Crafting a Pro-family System of Education and Human Services. He was Project Director for the preparation of Learning Together, a comprehensive map of the revitalized community schools movement across the country.
Marty stays involved with local activities in the District of Columbia. He is the former Chair of D.C. VOICE an education reform collaborative and of the Management Team of the Early Childhood Collaborative.
He has a B.A. from Columbia University, 1965, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and served as a VISTA Volunteer in the Missouri Bootheel.
Mary Kingston
Public Policy Manager
kingstonm@iel.org
Mary Kingston is the Public Policy Manager for the Coalition for Community Schools. In this role she leads the policy and advocacy efforts of the Coalition to promote the community schools approach both on the federal and state levels. Prior to this role, Mary served for 2.5 years as Manager of Government Relations for the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). In this role she represented the NASSP members as an active voice on Capitol Hill at the federal level for the best policies possible for secondary school leaders and school districts across the nation. While at NASSP, Mary also led the lobbying efforts of the nation's largest education coalition, the Committee for Education Funding, in the role of Hill Teams Co-Chair. Mary is a proud alumna of IEL's Education Policy Fellowship Program, class of 2011.
Mary received her Master of Public Policy from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Boston University. Prior to joining the staff at NASSP she taught secondary English for three years in Oakland, CA through the Teach for America program.
Reuben Jacobson
Senior Associate for Research & Strategy
jacobsonr@iel.org
Reuben Jacobson serves as the Senior Associate for Research and Strategy for the Coalition for Community Schools. In that capacity he develops and implements the Coalition’s research agenda, conducts and analyzes research on community schools, communicates research findings to the field, and works with the Coalition staff on overall strategy including policy and building local capacity.
Prior to joining IEL Reuben worked at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Washington, D.C. as a research analyst in education. In addition, he spent two tremendously challenging and wonderful years teaching fifth and sixth grade students in D.C. Public Schools as a D.C. Teaching Fellow. Most recently, Reuben worked on a study of teacher incentives at the University of Maryland – College Park.
Reuben is co-author of the American Educator article A Coordinated effort: Well-conducted partnerships meet students’ academic, health, and social service needs and has presented research at national meetings. He is an alumnus of IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program and the Education Pioneers Fellowship.
Reuben has a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, a Master’s degree in Education Policy from the George Washington University, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from American University, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Education Policy at the University of Maryland – College Park.
Shama Jamal
National Policy Emerson Fellow
jamals@iel.org
Shama joined the Coalition for Community Schools in June 2012 as the National Policy Emerson Fellow from the
Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania. Her primary duties include tracking, analyzing and creating supporting documents for federal legislation, regulation and guidance as they relate to moving the community schools policy agenda.
Prior to the Coalition, Shama’s experience working with community schools started through her internship with UPenn’s Program for Public Service at the Netter Center and later through their Civic Development Internship. Her work at University City High School, a
University-Assisted Community School, included starting and managing the school’s Community Resource Center. She has also worked with education organizations in Tanzania, East Africa and interned for the Social Investment Department at Ashoka - Innovators for the Public.
Shama received a Bachelors of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Heather Naviasky
Program Associate
naviaskyh@iel.org
Heather Naviasky is the Program Associate for the Center for Family, School, and Community at the Institute for Educational Leadership. In this capacity she oversees the logistical work of the Coalition for Community Schools as well as the events, including the National Forum and Advocacy Day. Additional responsibilities include financial assistance for the central office.
Heather also coordinates the
District Leaders Network on Family and Community Engagement (FCE). Now consisting of over 50 districts, this peer network brings together district leaders from across the country and provides the most up-to-date resources, professional development, and best practices to ultimately improve student achievement.
Naviasky graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in Political Science and a focus in Public Policy. Prior to joining IEL, she worked at the First Federal Congress Project as a research assistant, conducting primary research on Washington’s papers and providing logistical support for the organization. Naviasky is also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
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