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Imagine visiting a school where more than half the students were children of color who spoke little English and came from poor families: What would your reaction be if you saw three police cars parked in front of the school at 3:00 p.m.? Would you assume the school was low performing and violence prone? Would you assume it was a place parents didn’t care about, an example of what’s wrong with American schools? Well, you could be wrong on all accounts.
The school described above is Stevenson-YMCA Community School in Long Beach, California—a school that has achieved the designation of “A California Distinguished School,” the top honor given to public schools in California for academic achievement. Stevenson, which serves grades K–5, has met national adequate yearly progress goals for several years running. In short, this school—located in the heart of old, poverty-stricken downtown Long Beach—is thriving against all odds.
When I visited Stevenson School last summer to deliver a Community Schools National Award for Excellence, the school was hosting a community celebration with hundreds of parents, students, and community members in attendance. The local police department sent three community officers, not to patrol the area, but to participate in the celebration. The officers, who were obviously well known and well liked, chatted with parents, drank lemonade, and laughed with happy children tugging on their arms. The mayor, city council, and YMCA coadministrator of the community school were also at the event, as were dozens of parents, local agencies, businesses, health and human services providers, recreation workers, arts and music mentors, faith-based organization representatives—everyone you could think of from the village it takes to raise a child. They all showed up to support their school and each other, and to celebrate the fact that Stevenson had defied every stereotype usually attributed to schools with its demographics.
So how does Stevenson do it? And how can other American schools with similar demographics defy the odds and begin to thrive?
Stevenson is a community school. It’s open early and late, evenings and weekends; it provides for all students and their families high-quality teaching, tutoring, before- and after-school programs, counseling, health services, parent engagement and leadership programs, arts and recreation, community and business partnerships, and additional opportunities at or near the school. It’s a community school by design—a hub of productivity for the neighborhood.
Not only have all these partnerships and supportive relationships changed the culture of the school, but, according to community members, the school has changed the culture of the entire neighborhood. A drive through the neighborhood at 5:00 p.m. reveals modest, neatly kept houses and loads of families coming home from work and school to start their evening routines. Visitors feel none of the tension and highly guarded climate so prevalent in high-poverty neighborhoods. People seem to have purpose and feel safe here.
What Stevenson does is not a new intervention or strategy; it’s actually a return to the historical idea of schools as the center of community. John Dewey, an educational philosopher of the early 20th century, who is considered by some to be the father of public education, was a strong supporter of community schools. Jane Addams was famous in the early 1900s for providing social ser-vices to the poor through what were called settlement houses; part of this work involved bringing social services into schools. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt continued this vision during the Great Depression in the 1930s by guaranteeing nutritious lunches and health screenings in schools. During this same period, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation initiated a movement that supported community schools and community education.
During the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, the vision of community schools expanded as programs such as Head Start ensured equal opportunities for all children—regardless of race, color, or background. The Great Society and War on Poverty federal programs of the late 1960s and early 1970s provided food security and arts and culture for public school children. Throughout these years, America led the world in student academic achievement.
But, by the late 1980s, funding for public education was being squeezed, and schools started systematically cutting out most of their student support and enrichment programs. In the suburbs, parents could afford the after-school and weekend clubs, summer camps, classes, and activities necessary for their children to thrive and become well-rounded. But in the inner cities, parents couldn’t afford such programs, now that they were no longer available through the schools. Many inner-city schools were neglected; they became last-resort places for those with no other options for their children. Schools became more diverse and more needy just as funding for educating the whole child seemed to slip away.
In the 1990s, concerned philanthropists and legislators moved forward with sweeping initiatives to restore community involvement in schools. A variety of programs promoting community schools took root and blossomed, including Beacon Schools, the Children’s Aid Society’s community schools, the School of the 21st Century, and Communities In Schools. Today, similar efforts are taking place from Boston to Chicago to Portland,Oregon. Whether implemented by a national organization, focused on a particular state or community, or developed through a university, these initiatives are making an enormous difference for America’s working-class families. Evaluations of community schools show improvements in student attendance, parent involvement, health outcomes, mobility rates, employment rates, high school completion, and academic performance.
While the federal No Child Left Behind legislation is shining a spotlight on the persistent achievement gaps between affluent white children and children of color who live in high-poverty areas, community schools are closing these gaps by creating conditions in which all children can succeed in school and in life.
With many parents working and struggling to get by, the middle-class dream has become a difficult goal to reach in America. Parents need to have high-quality school offerings for their children from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day, since many cannot take time off during the afternoon to chauffeur their children to developmental opportunitites. They need to have sports, arts, and music, as well as clubs, health and dental services, and opportunities for citizenship development, right there at the school. Further, many parents would benefit greatly if their neighborhood schools offered leadership training and opportunities for parents to complete or further their education.
In the early 20th century, the nation’s cities saw an unprecedented influx of immigrants searching for jobs, education, and a better way of life. Public schools responded with a community schools approach. In the early 21st century, city residents are facing very similar issues. While residents’ countries of origin may be different after 100 years, the issues are still the same. And the messages of freedom and opportunity borne on the Statue of Liberty are more poignant today than ever before.
Schools are responding to student, parent, and family needs by again adopting the community schools approach. PTA and similar organizations across the country can help by learning about community schools and bringing appropriate community school partners to the table to discuss building long-term relationships. The success of the Stevenson-YMCA Community School demonstrates that community schools can increase home values, decrease crime, attract family-friendly businesses, relax family tensions, increase student success, expand parent involvement, and help communities become more vibrant models of the American Dream.
Lisa Villarreal is a mother, a grandmother, and an education professional with 30 years of experience. She now works in philanthropy at the San Francisco Foundation. She is vice chair of the Coalition for Community Schools.
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