CCS RPN Research Agenda - Community Schools Research and Impact Theme 1: Defining Community Schools and Mapping the Implementation Journey

The following is a major theme of the Community Schools Research Agenda. Click here to return to the CCS RPN homepage.

Defining Community Schools and Mapping the Implementation Journey

There is a growing need for a clearer, shared definition of the Community School strategy and stronger alignment with the Essentials Framework, including a practical stages document. It is important to articulate the schoolwide approach of Community Schools, including shared leadership structures, integrated supports, and community-connected instruction. Future studies should focus on understanding what quality implementation looks like at different stages, how coordinating entities and governance structures support quality, and how implementation varies across rural, urban, and suburban settings, especially noting the gap in tools for high schools. Upcoming research should adopt a cohesive, universal framework and document how individual schools evolve.

Suggested research questions:

1. What field-facing definition of Community Schools, grounded in the Essentials Framework, most clearly differentiates the strategy from other service delivery programs while maintaining authentic community roots?
2. What readiness conditions and local asset configurations support different Community School implementation models (e.g., partner-led, district-led, or hybrid), and how do cross-sector roles and responsibilities develop across stages of implementation?
3. What stages of development define Community School implementation, and what observable signals indicate movement from launch to established practice, including expectations for outcomes at each stage?
4. How do governance and coordinating structures differ in effectiveness, including district-led models, school-based models, distributed leadership teams, and the division of roles between district-level and school-level coordinators?
5. How should the Community Schools strategy be adapted across rural, urban, and suburban settings? What boundary conditions define acceptable adaptation?
6. How do state and district systems intentionally incorporate the Community Schools strategy as a unifying framework to support existing educational priorities, initiatives, and accountability requirements, rather than setting it up as a separate or additional program?