Making Community Schools a Reality Harnessing Your Power as a School Leader through Collaboration

Foreword

Jane Quinn

Preface

1.     Introduction

2.     Understanding the “What” and “Why” of Community Schools

3.     Creating a state of readiness

4.     Realizing the Vision by Developing and Enhancing Systems and Structures

5.     Building a Sound Foundation: Data, Evaluation, and Funding

6.     The Principal’s Role in Advocating for Change

7.     Making it Work: A Question of Equity

Appendix A. Stages of Development

Appendix B. Path to a Vision: Oyler School, Cincinnati Ohio (Pre K-12)

Appendix C. Assets and Needs Assessment Toolkit

Appendix D. Community Schools Communications Toolkit

Biography

Emily L. Woods is a former K-12 teacher and teacher trainer. She is currently Director of Education for the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation, where she advances the benefits of community schools in urban public education. She has also served as Adjunct Lecturer in UMass Boston’s Education Leadership doctoral program.

“For educators, parents and community activists who recognize that schools can’t address the needs of students without support, this book will be a tremendous asset and an invaluable resource.  Throughout the book, Emily Woods provides us with insights into how to devise a strategy to create and sustain community schools.  Filled with quotes and stories from people who have led this work, the book is practical, insightful, and most of all, inspirational. “

Pedro A. Noguera, Distinguished Professor of Education, USC Rossier School of Education, USA.

“Community schools are a strategy for all schools. Making Community Schools a Reality will serve an anchor for principals ready to expand their leadership and make their schools a holistic center for students, families and communities. While the pages of this book speak directly to principals, teachers and community school practitioners, anyone in education would benefit from the best-practices and wisdom presented.”

Amy Ellis, Director of the Center for Community Schools, University of Central Florida, USA.

 “Making Community Schools a Reality serves as both a practical guide and a call to action for educators, policymakers, and community leaders, offering a blueprint for creating schools that address the non-traditional needs of students and families. Woods reinforces the idea that education is not only about what happens in the classroom, but how schools can drive long-term, transformative change through collaboration, fostering stronger, healthier communities.”

Richard M. Gordon IV, Assistant Superintendent, School District of Philadelphia, USA.

“Finally, a resource that combines principals’ wisdom with evidence-based strategies to successfully implement and lead community schools. In this book, Woods takes the reader through a series of steps needed to create conditions that address school/community readiness, foster collaboration, and develop an infrastructure to support the community school strategy. Unlike other books in the field, Making Community Schools a Reality: Harnessing the Power of School Leaders  anticipates the challenges faced by principals and delivers concrete solutions to navigate their  community school journey.”

JoAnne Ferrara, Professor Emerita, Manhattanville University, USA.

“Emily Woods has written a useful and valuable book that will help the range of community schools advocates and practitioners to better comprehend the significance of the work for children, families, communities, and society.”

Ira Harkavy, Founding Director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania, USA.

“The growing literature on community schools as a preferred education reform strategy offers many strengths but also suffers from at least one major gap: the all-important role of the principal in community school implementation. Emily Woods has courageously and respectfully stepped into this breach, bringing her incisive analytical skills and strong policy orientation…”

Jane Quinn, Director of Children’s Aid National Center for Community Schools, 2000–2018, USA.