Scholastic Magazine Highlights Community Schools!

05/03/11

In their feature, "Schools to the Rescue", Scholastic Magazine highlights the tremendous impact that community schools across the country are having on student achievement. This article illustrates the day to day work of key players in community schools, who connect families and students to the resources they need. From Tulsa, OK to Kansas City, MO to Nashville, TN to New York City, teachers, principals, community members, and lead agencies have found a way address the social needs of families while maintaining primary focus on student success.

"As a partner," says Jane Quinn, Director of the Children's Aid Society's National Center for Community Schools, "we come in with a set of services that are designed to remove barriers to learning." The Children’s Aid Society’s National Center for Community Schools provides technical assistance to community schools including those in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Portland and St. Paul.

All community schools are tailored to the needs of their students, families, and communities. Even though they work towards similar results, they look different in every community. Key to the community school strategy is collaboration and effective utilization of community resources. Many community schools deliver food services to members of the community. Some run adult education center and health centers. This coordinated operation has proven to reduce absenteeism and lift the burden from teachers, who are on the front lines, to provide care for their students who cannot focus on their education because of problems at home. Peggy Samolinski, program administrator of Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Community Schools in Multnomah County, OR says, "Teachers can't be social workers and good teachers," but connecting families with services, "is creating opportunities where children can leave their worries at the classroom door."

Read the full article here.