By now, your initiative has developed a motivating vision and a commitment to shared ownership, but any scale-up effort needs a community-wide base of support and strong leadership. Now is the time to start promoting the benefits of scale-up to a broad set of constituencies throughout the community. Consider ways to:
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STATE SUPPORT FOR SCALE-UP
State entities can play an important role in convening partners and developing strategies to build support for community schools expansion. A sold-out, day-long retreat organized in 2009 by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, in partnership with the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and the Coalition for Community Schools, brought together a diverse group of school and community partners from across the state to learn how to begin to scale up community schools. Organizers reached out to school district personnel, CBOs, public agencies, teachers, higher education faculty and administrators, child care agencies, and state children’s cabinet members. A keynote address by the Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Education was followed by a panel of local school superintendents and community leaders who explained why and how community schools are part of their core district agenda. The retreat helped participants see community schools in action and visualize the possibility of change in their own communities. Equally important, it reinforced local leaders’ commitment to strengthening and expanding community schools.