Community Schools are one potentially powerful way to change learning outcomes for low income areas in the US. Evidence exists that success in US public schools closely follows demographics for income and learning resources.

In areas with middle class incomes and above, the community, as well as the family units, supply support for learning in and outside the schools themselves. This can include activities in the home that support learning, such as adults reading to children, but it extends to the stability of the home, the reduction of family destabilizing elements, the availability of support for health, including mental health and nutrition, and support for parents efficient use of time and energy that aids parental/ child interactions.

Community Schools are designed to be wholistic solutions that address “all of the above” and thus aid successful learning for children in low income areas. Notably, Community Schools can’t provide all the resources present in other thriving parts of a community/town/city, because macro economic realities still are in play. However, they do strive to change and improve all the factors that can be addressed by a “Community School”. That can be a very powerful change-agent for the better.

With three more Las Cruces schools introducing community school programs in 2020, backed by state funding and a joint powers agreement between the school district and the city of Las Cruces, we are likely to be hearing more about community schools in the year to come.

Here’s a LCSN  article that explores a local Las Cruces test case scenario for Community Schools in the LCPS. PSA is a supporter of the Community Schools concept in general, and of the local implementation under the leadership of David Greenberg.

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