CCS RPN Research Agenda - Community Schools Research and Impact Theme 3: Engagement, Organizing, and Shared Decision Making

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

Engagement, Organizing, and Shared Decision Making

Research to date indicates that organizing plays an important role in promoting shared power and building on collective assets. Research should further document what organizing looks like in practice, such as leadership development for families and youth, structured opportunities for community members to set priorities, and collective problem-solving that influences school decisions. Family and community engagement should be strengthened both as a practice and as a measurement domain, emphasizing family leadership, co-design, and sustained participation. Context matters, and research should explore how shared decision-making varies across settings, deepening understanding of network building and alignment and their variations in urban, suburban, and rural settings. This topic should also address the practical question of what creates a true community by examining conditions for participation, such as how trust is built, how communication loops show how input is used, and how schools encourage broad involvement from staff, students, and families. Research should also investigate how responsibilities for organizing are shared among principals, teachers, partners, families, and students.

Suggested research questions:

1. How should organizing be defined within Community Schools to differentiate it from needs sensing, service coordination, and partnership development?
2. What organizing strategies help Community Schools develop shared understanding and shared power, and how do these strategies vary across urban, rural, and suburban contexts?
3. Family engagement should be treated as a distinct research area, and what measures and strategies best capture parent leadership, co-design, and ongoing participation?
4. What conditions motivate broad participation by staff, students, and families?
5. What defines a community, and how can we go beyond strategy to achieve genuine belonging?
6. How does shared decision-making with quality and sustainability improve Community Schools’ practices?
7. What facilitation and engagement practices support authentic shared decision-making and sustained community belonging in Community Schools?