State Coalitions Network

About the Network

To provide a means for local and state Community Schools stakeholders to connect, deepen their knowledge and skills, and advocate for supportive policies at the state level.

State coalitions are essential given the continued growth of local initiatives, the devolution of power to states through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and the rising interest from governors and state legislators for Community Schools. State coalitions focus on four strategies:

1. Stakeholder engagement
2. Policy and advocacy
3. Professional learning
4. Communications and messaging

The State Coalition are emerging in 39 states. A list of emerging state coalitions, their lead organizations and contacts are below.

Click here to apply and join the network.

Our Goals

• Serve as a learning community for leaders of state community school coalitions.
• Inform Coalition staff of the needs, challenges and opportunities in their states.

Email ccs@iel.org.

Resources:

• Check out our updated State Coalition Stages of Development Rubric (2026)!

The State Coalition Stages of Development serve as a guide for states as they build or scale their State Coalition for Community Schools with a focus on four strategies: Policy and Advocacy, Professional Learning Networks, Communications, and Partner Engagement and Governance. State Coalitions for Community Schools often progress through the stages of development at a different pace for each of the four strategies, depending on local momentum and context, therefore this guide is broken into the four separate strategies. Included in each strategy are best practice examples collected from existing State Coalitions for Community Schools and additional contextual resources. The Coalition for Community Schools would like to thank the State Coalition for Community Schools Network participants for sharing their input and expertise in the creation of this guide.

• NEW: Community Schools State Coalition Map

The map shows Community Schools State Coalitions across the country (2026).