Community Schools
Where we work
Myers-Wilkins Elementary
Lincoln Park Middle School
Denfeld High School
Essentials for Community School Transformation Framework is the updated national model that the Duluth Community School Collaborative follows. This framework contains six key practices with the goal to ensure "All students flourish in thriving school communities". Below is more information on the Collaborative's implementation of these six practices. If you are interested in reading more about the updated model in general, click here.
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Community Schools Forward. (2023). Framework: Essentials for community school transformation. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/project/community-schools-forward
Community School Key Practices
Integrated Systems of Supports
Community schools take a “whole-child” approach to supporting students’ educational and life success. This means that we pay explicit attention to students’ social and emotional development, health, and academic learning because we know they are all interconnected; children must have their basic needs, health needs, and social and emotional needs met in order to reach their full academic potential. We also focus on a collective well-being by looking at not only the needs of the students but their families as well.
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DCSC coordinates on-site services to support students in overcoming a range of barriers to educational and life success. Services are unique to each school based on the specific needs of the students and community, and may include access to medical, dental, and mental health care services, tutoring, and other academic supports. Our schools are also developing restorative practices to reduce punitive disciplinary actions such as suspensions.
Expanded and Enriched Learning Opportunities
Expanded and enriched learning opportunities are essential to schools’ capacity to support students’ academic growth, as well as to help them develop socially, emotionally, and physically. In addition to supporting student-focused instruction in classrooms, community schools provide students with additional after school and summer learning time.
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In our community schools, educators collaborate with DCSC and community partners to provide learning activities during out-of-school time and summer, using school facilities and other community spaces. This approach makes it clear that enriched learning time is the responsibility of both schools and communities. Programs vary depending on community priorities and include arts, physical activity, small group and individualized academic support, and hands-on learning activities.
Powerful Student and Family Engagement
Powerful student and family engagement is essential to fostering relationships of trust and respect between the school and the community. Our community schools prioritize meaningful and ongoing connection with families and community members and establish the systems to make it happen. We strive to take student and family voices into account when cultivating the school environment and engaging in decision making processes.
Educators and other staff at community schools understand that engagement happens on a continuum—from partnering with parents to develop and promote a vision for student success, to offering courses, activities, and services for parents and community members, to creating structures and opportunities for shared leadership. Families and community members feel welcome, supported, and valued as essential partners.
DCSC engages families at our school-based community events, which build bridges between school and home. We also include parents and community members as leaders on our site teams, which set the goals and monitor the progress of the community school model at our schools. Families who are interested in learning more about events and serving on our site teams should join our Facebook group and sign up for our e-newsletter.
Culture of Belonging, Safety and Care
By creating an open and welcoming school atmosphere, members of the school community can comfortably share views and ideas. Each member such as students, staff, families, and community partners are valued for the unique viewpoint they bring to the school community. With an environment of trust built in to the school all members can feel safe and comfortable taking risks and contributing their knowledge.
Rigorous, Community-Connected Classroom Instruction
In the classroom and at school we aim to have learning opportunities for students that contain both high quality content with material that relates back to students' real-life. By having curriculum that relates to students' identities, communities, experiences and cultures, we give students the opportunity to engage and learn in an impactful way.
DCSC offers these opportunities to students with programming such as our Summer Transitions Academy. This program, available to incoming High School freshmen, offers credits to participating students. This non-traditional program is a mix of classroom learning and hands on opportunities for students to connect with the community as well.
Collaborative Leadership and Shared Power and Voice
Collaborative leadership and shared power and voice is foundational for the success of a community school. At our schools, we work to create environments for engagement of all stakeholders, including parents, teachers, school leaders, students, and community partners. Through open communication and shared responsibility, we create an inclusive environment that gives everyone room for input in planning and implementation of services. This both leverages the expertise of all partners and creates the conditions for students to achieve.
Collaborative leadership and practices are central to the work of the professionals in our school buildings: teachers, administrators, non-teaching staff, and union leaders. Examples of this include professional learning communities, site-based teams charged with improving school policy and classroom teaching and learning, labor-management collaborations, and teacher development strategies such as peer assistance and review.
