With 34 established community schools, MNPS’s superintendent (a former community school principal) is now using federal recovery funds to invest in 26 new community schools and deepen the transformative work that the pandemic jumpstarted. Community schools work in partnership with community organizations, families, and other agencies to advance student outcomes by integrating student supports, active family and community engagement, collaborative leadership practices, and expanded and enriching learning time.
According to Alison McArthur, the district’s director of Community Achieves (the district department that manages community schools implementation), their approach is “about strategic alignment, partner support, academic enrichment, tutoring, extended learning, attendance initiatives, basic needs, and school culture.” The community school initiative focuses on supporting students to help them thrive. Alison adds, “We view this as a strategy for student success.”
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