Community schools are an evidence-based strategy that unites students, families, educators, and community organizations to improve student learning and well-being. These schools leverage community resources to strengthen family-school partnerships and address local needs. During this webinar, attendees learned how community schools can lead to improvements in student achievement, chronic absence, and school climate, and heard from leaders in California and Kentucky who are applying community school approaches to improve student outcomes. This webinar was part of a three-part series meant to offer timely, nonpartisan research and real-world policy solutions, drawing from a broad range of state experiences. LPI and partners developed the 2026 Legislative Prep Series: Education Challenges and Solutions to give policymakers and others a leg up on the 2026 legislative session with the most up-to-date research, tools, and examples of effective, evidence-based state policy approaches. Speakers - Opening | Elena Silva, President and CEO, Learning Policy Institute - Research Presentation | Anna Maier, Senior Policy Advisor and Researcher, Learning Policy Institute - Moderator | Tiffany Miller, Senior Director of Federal and State Policy, Learning Policy Institute - California | Ingrid Roberson, Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education - Kentucky Brigitte Blom, President & CEO, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence Amanda Mays Bledsoe, State Senator, Kentucky General Assembly

Fact sheet explaining what a Community School is, and what recent research reveals.

This snapshot charts FSCS’s progress in two foundational areas: early activities that grantees must help partner schools complete and partnerships that grantees must finalize with local providers to deliver essential services to children in community schools.

This study assesses the extent to which the CCSPP grants effectively reached high-need schools and evaluates the impact of community school practices induced and supported by the CCSPP implementation grants on student outcomes, including attendance, suspensions, and academic achievement. The study compares changes in these outcomes over time between schools that received CCSPP grants (treatment group) and a matched group of similar schools that did not (control group). Employing a matched difference-in-differences technique, the analyses focus on the divergence in student outcomes between these groups after grant implementation.

This toolkit is designed to equip community school practitioners and partners in Idaho with the resources they need to secure funding, engage local support, and share their impact. Inside, you’ll find guidance on grant writing, leveraging partnerships, navigating federal funding opportunities, and advocating for your community school through storytelling and site visits. Additionally, real-life experts showcase how Idaho schools have successfully sustained and expanded their community school efforts during a recorded panel discussion.

This guide is a resource for understanding, implementing, and thriving as a community school in New York State. It emphasizes how community schools use strategies like Multi-Tiered System of Supports lntegrated (MTSS-1), culturally responsive-sustaining education practices (CRSE), and social emotional learning (SEL) to ensure every student thrives in a supportive and inclusive environment. By leveraging collaborative leadership structures, stakeholders collaboratively drive the work to align with the diverse needs of their communities. Whether you're just beginning to explore community schools or are seeking to strengthen your existing strategy, you'll find valuable information and practical resources in this guide.

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.

To make the process of reaching out to your members of Congress as easy as possible, we’ve provided two templates, one for a phone call and one for an email message, to use when you contact them. We encourage you to personalize the message so that they know how these federal dollars have made a difference in the lives of your students.

The 2025 state-level legislative season is coming to a close, and there are emerging trends that impact Community Schools, family engagement, and related whole-child and youth development strategies. Over 60% of governors are promoting two or more education priorities, namely, workforce alignment and career and technical education (CTE), education funding alternatives, school choice, and cell phone bans. This brief overviews these trends.

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.