Evolving Community Schools Implementation in Rural Vermont

• In Event: Expanding Our Understanding: Research on Rural Community School Implementation

Abstract

Objective. Community Schools (CS) represents an impactful approach for integrating academic, health, social, and emotional supports by connecting schools with families, local organizations, service providers, and the broader community (Maier et al., 2017; Malone, 2020). While this approach has gained traction across the country, the majority of efforts and scholarship have taken place in urban/suburban areas, while rural contexts remain underexplored (Knox et al., 2025). This study examines years two and three of a three-year pilot project in Vermont supporting the implementation and sustainability of Community Schools in rural Vermont. Our focus is on the enabling contexts for implementation and the natural emergence of a lead pillar within the Vermont CS framework. This lead pillar initiates a pillar sequencing effect, organically expanding implementation across all five pillars over time and shaping perspectives on Community Schools success, messaging, and sustainability.

Framework. Drawing from Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and social capital theory (Claridge, 2021), this study investigates how rural schools’ conceptualization of the Community Schools approach evolved, alongside their operationalization of the approach to blend theory and practice to address structural barriers and challenges in supporting rural schools, students, and families.

Methods. This mixed-methods study involved interviews with school leaders (coordinators, principals, superintendents), review of grant reports and implementation tools, and thematic analysis of year two and three school data.

Findings. Rural educators noted that the Community Schools approach provided language and structure to what many schools were already doing and the strong, symbiotic relationships between their schools and communities that had been fostered over many years. This reframing provided validation for longstanding practices and perspectives, while also providing insight into new avenues for collaboration, partnership, and educational opportunities. Further, rather than solely focusing on one specific pillar alone, rural VT schools demonstrated how addressing one pillar as a lead in a sequence facilitates the blending of the other pillars. Pillar sequencing was not linear, but dynamic and responsive to individual communities, with schools often pivoting between pillar priorities based on evolving student, family, and community needs and input. Lastly, rural Community School leaders continued to stress the need for continued advocacy and storytelling to grow awareness, understanding, and support for the Community Schools approach. Sustainability, partnership development, and impactful programs and learning opportunities depend on continued funding, but also on growing local and regional connections and support networks of community-engaged education professionals using clear, consistent messaging and language around rural Community Schools' impact and success.

Significance. This study advances the Community Schools approach by offering a unique perspective and deeper understanding of rural Community Schools implementation. Rural Community Schools in this study highlight how pillar sequencing might unfold in context-specific ways that at unique to rural spaces, and provide practical insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners who are interested in or engaged in Community Schools implementation and sustainability efforts. As a distinct and adaptive approach, this study and symposium contribute to larger conversations around equitable, transformative, and place-based solutions to education reform that center students, families, and communities.

Author

• Peter N. Knox, University of Vermont