District-Level Implementation of Community Schools: Learnings from a Research Practice Partnership for Continuous Improvement

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 3:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: School and community leadership and engagement

Abstract

This study examines district-level implementation of a rapidly expanding Community Schools Initiative through a research-practice partnership (RPP) in a large Mid-Atlantic school district. Drawing on improvement science, the RPP elevates practitioner perspectives to inform continuous improvement and system learning. Mixed-methods data from interviews, focus groups, and site visits highlight key implementation challenges and promising practices grounded in relational trust and local context. Findings underscore the importance of stakeholder voice, historical grounding, and aligned infrastructure in sustaining equity-centered reforms. The study offers actionable insights for scaling community schools and demonstrates how embedded research can strengthen system capacity and coherence amid shifting policy and funding conditions.

Authors

• Ana Ventura-Molina, American University

• kecia hayes, American University

• Robert Shand, American University

• Reuben Jacobson, American University