What is a Community School?
Since 1990, an idea called “community schools” has emerged nationally as a way to strengthen neighborhood schools. Today, over 5,000 schools identify themselves as community schools. Community schools embrace the idea that parents, teachers, nonprofits and community partners should help run and improve neighborhood schools, creating a community around the school to make sure that the school is doing well.
This approach has successfully turned around struggling schools both nationally and in Texas. Save Texas Schools, along with many other Texas education organizations, is supporting this community-based strategy as an alternative to closing, privatizing or repurposing schools.
What are the elements of a Community School?
How does a school become a Community School?
What does the evidence say about Community Schools?
What Community Schools legislation is Save Texas Schools supporting?
What is the media saying about Community Schools?
Click Here for Community Schools video
Click Here for STS Community School One-Pager
More Information About Community Schools
Coalition for Community Schools
This website is the national clearinghouse for information and best practices in the Community School movement, and can also link you with other Community School advocates.
FAQ about Community Schools
This page of the Coalition for Community Schools website covers a number of common topics, including evidence for community schools, best practices, funding and academic programming.
Publications from the Coalition for Community Schools
This page of the Coalition for Community Schools website lists a number of helpful research and how-to documents.
Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools
AROS is a recent coalition founded to promote community-based solutions to school improvement, as opposed to closure, privatization and repurposing of schools. Keep up-to-date on ways to advocate nationally for Community Schools.
Austin Voices for Education and Youth (AVEY)
Austin Voices is a pioneer of Community Schools in Texas, and has led two successful school turnarounds based on the community school model. Austin Voices is also the parent organization of Save Texas Schools. Contact Austin Voices for more information about starting a community school at aweeks@austinvoices.org.
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