Community Schools Research: Advancing Equity and Collaboration Through a Holistic Approach

Session Type: Virtual Symposium

Abstract

This symposium centers educational research on community schools strategy and its role in advancing equity. Community schools are an engagement strategy to coordinate opportunities for student success. Applying literature reviews, theoretical frameworks, and case studies, the four symposium papers identify themes, patterns, and emerging areas of inquiry about the role of community schools play in advancing more equitable education systems. Papers range from a) a field scan of a decade of community schools research, b) an analysis of community schools implementation in Black communities, c) a multi-measure framework to understand effectiveness of community schools from a state and local perspectives, and d) an examination of effective principal leadership practices that build relational trust and aspirations of communities.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Family, School, Community Partnerships

Chair

• Helen Janc Malone, Institute for Educational Leadership

Papers

• A Review of the Emerging Community Schools Research and Evaluations - Emily Cheng, Institute for Educational Leadership

• Interrogating the Role of Race in Full-Service Community Schools to Advance Educational Equity - Mavis G. Sanders, Child Trends

• A Holistic Approach to Understanding the Effectiveness of Community Schools: A Multiple-Measures Framework - Marisa Saunders, University of California - Los Angeles; Nadia M. Sabat Bass, University of California - Los Angeles; Karen Hunter Quartz, University of California - Los Angeles

• The Empowerment of Educational Leaders in Community Schools - Carlos M. Azcoitia, National Louis University

Discussant

• Naorah C. Rimkunas, Binghamton University - SUNY