A Guide to Mobilizing Your Community School Network: This guide is for FSCS grantees who are already in deep contact with their Members of Congress to mobilize their communities to conduct congressional outreach.
How to Tell Your Community Schools Story: The following suggestions offer different actions you and your organization can take to have your voice heard about the impact of Community Schools. They range from educational to advocacy to lobbying that can be used at the local, state, and/or federal levels. Even if your representative is not on a decision-making committee, they still have a vote, and every vote counts! It is up to your discretion to decide what action(s) are best for you and your organization.
The Power of Community Schools: An overview of evidence showing how Community Schools are a highly effective strategy for improving student success by integrating academic supports, family engagement, and community partnerships.
The Federal Budget Race – The FY26 Appropriations Season is wrapping up, but there are still several key steps until federal funding is decided for fiscal year 2026. The FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) bills in each chamber are at different stages in the Appropriations Process. Check out status of the race to fund Education with this infographic.
Advocating for a high-quality, equitable education for all students, with community schools as a core strategy, is a year-round campaign. However, we mobilize during certain times of the year for an advocacy push to send a unified message to policymakers at the local, state and federal levels.
Notwithstanding numerous reforms and incremental progress, we have not as a nation been able to achieve equity in education and workforce development over the last 55 years. As a focal point of IEL’s big idea, we believe we can improve opportunity and outcomes and close gaps in access and achievement in education and workforce development through innovation, leadership development and mobilization. If we invest in community leaders of all ages, stages, and sectors, we can change the odds.
Stimulated by the Coalition, there has been an insurgence of proof through research, and growth activity in the community school field where there are now approximately 5,000 community schools across the country, with growing demand in rural, suburban, and urban communities, and emerging international interest. With nearly 100,000 public schools, the Coalition Steering Committee set an ambitious goal of 25,000 Community Schools by 2025 that will reach over 10,000,000 children and youth galvanizing a tipping point of public schools that are creating the conditions, capacities, cultures and policies necessary for everyone to succeed.