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Since 1997, the Institute for Educational Leadership has mobilized the Coalition for Community Schools to lead advocacy efforts to promote Community Schools as a vehicle to ensure all young people have the conditions they need to succeed and thrive. March for Children and Youth Month was launched by our partners at First Focus for Children in 2017 as an annual campaign to concentrate our advocacy efforts among our national, state and local partners. Our collective advocacy as a Coalition is important to build champions among our policymakers for policies and funding that support children and youth. We can no longer sit on the sidelines and hope others advocate for more equitable conditions in schools - it must be us, it must be now, and we must speak with one voice. During this campaign, reach out to your policymakers and share your stories and the impact of Community Schools. Join us during this month to raise our voices together to create opportunities we want for all children and youth across the country to experience every day.

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.