Service Coordinators in Community Schools: Role Re-Definition and Evolution

• In Event: Scaling and Sustaining Equitable Community Schools: Lessons From Kentucky

Abstract

Objective:
Kentucky is an important site to study the scaling of full-service community schools because, for schools where at least a fifth of the student body is low-income (i.e., eligible for free- or reduced-price meals), funding is available for a Family Resource Center (Kentucky Division of Family Resource and Youth Service Centers, 2024). Each Family Resource Center, staffed by a Coordinator, provides services and materials that help meet the unique needs of students and families at each school.

As 40 schools in the state begin the work to implement full-service community schools, the Coordinators at each of the schools are tasked with meeting their students’ on-going needs while scaling their programs. Our aim, in this paper, is to take stock of their experiences as their roles are re-defined and evolve.

Theoretical framework:
We draw on role theory, and specifically role strain, to assess Coordinators’ experiences (Biddle, 1986; Goode, 1960). Role strain can occur in various contexts, including in the presence of multiple competing demands and during changes to an individual’s position or the expectations for that position. Importantly, role strain can shape the well-being of coordinators, their effectiveness in their work, as well as their desire to continue in their positions.

Data sources:
For this paper, we primarily draw on data collected from two sources, which were collected between January and June 2024:
1. Observations of 26 school-, district-, and community-based meetings to develop and implement community schools; and
2. Semi-structured interviews with 16 key stakeholders in districts and schools implementing community schools. Our participants included: Resource center coordinators, district-level staff, community organization-based advocates, and state-level policy makers.

Methods:
We employ a “flexible coding” approach with the fieldnotes and memos from our observations and interview transcripts (Deterding & Waters, 2018). This approach enables us to iteratively code and analyze our data by applying index codes, developing additional analytic codes, and refining and testing our hypotheses.

Initial Results:
Our preliminary analyses point to three key challenges that are emerging for Coordinators, as their schools transition into full-service community schools. First, interview respondents note that Coordinators experience role overload as they are expected to manage the day-to-day needs of their students, solicit feedback from community members, and build partnerships for longer-term sustainability. Second, Coordinators experience role conflict, with shifting expectations that elevate their status (within school leadership teams) but place additional responsibilities on their shoulders. For example, one Coordinator we spoke to referred to this as a “conundrum.” Finally, our respondents highlight role ambiguity, especially as Coordinators reflect on their future work. One Coordinator wondered out loud in an interview: “What have we got ourselves into?”

Significance:
This work highlights the shifting role(s) of school staff in the face of large-scale policy shifts. As such, it can inform the literature on organizational change as well as policy implementation, helping us understand expected and unintended experiences of those who enact policies.

Authors

• Zitsi Mirakhur, University of Kentucky

• Anastacia E. Cole, University of Kentucky

• Amanda U. Potterton, University of Kentucky

• Nuren D. Dihan, University of Kentucky