Read the brief from the Learning Policy Institute here.
“The California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) funds local education agencies to develop and support networks of schools that integrate community school practices, guided by statewide technical assistance. This case study examines how the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Community Schools Initiative (CSI) created a robust support structure that centers inclusive, deeper learning while establishing school-level systems to sustain it. The CSI’s supports focus on three priorities: (1) welcoming, inclusive environments enabled by restorative practices; (2) community-connected, project-based learning; and (3) in high schools, the integration of Linked Learning—career-focused pathways bridging high school and real-world experience—with community school strategies. This brief describes the CSI’s instructional priorities, their adoption at the school level, and the district-level professional learning strategy that made this vision possible. The brief also reports evidence of substantial positive impacts of CCSPP community schools in LAUSD on achievement and attendance by 2023–24. While all low-income schools in LAUSD are recovering from pandemic-era lows, math and English language arts proficiency rates in community schools are improving faster and exceeding their pre-pandemic levels.”