About Shared Commitment, Understanding, and Priorities
When interest-holders develop a shared commitment, understanding and priorities of the goals and expectations of the community schools strategy, and fully commit to the strategy, they can work together towards realizing their common vision. Shared understanding and commitment promotes collaboration, support for change, transparency and democratic values.
Resources
Serving the Whole Person: An Alignment and Coherence Guide for State Education Agencies
This Alignment and Coherence Guide’s central purpose is to help state education agency (SEA) leaders implement conditions for equitable learning and development for students, families, and educators, through their work to improve the alignment and coherence of their whole-person initiatives.
Forum Guide to Data Visualization: A Resource for Education Agencies
The purpose of this document is to recommend data visualization practices that will help education agencies communicate data meaning in visual formats that are accessible, accurate, and actionable for a wide range of education partners.
Data Analysis Protocol
Discussions around data can make people feel “on the spot” or exposed, either for themselves, their students, or their profession. The use of a structured dialogue format provides an effective technique for managing the discussion and maintaining its focus. This protocol allows participants to look at data with new eyes, and ends with possible implications, next steps, and strategies.
NEA: Building Our Pitch
The purpose of this tool is to guide educators, advocates, and school leaders in effectively communicating the vision, value, and impact of community schools in a concise and engaging way. It provides a clear structure—a “pitch”—to help speakers explain what community schools are, why they matter, what they do, and how others can get involved.
Deep Needs and Assets Assessments
Transformational Community Schools build their work by always: seeing the system; building goals from a root cause analysis; developing their efforts both inside and outside the school building; working at the pace of relationships; and authentically centering equity and racial justice. Central to this effort is a Needs and Assets Assessment (NAA) reflecting these practices.
Transformational Needs and Assets Assessments
Transformational Community Schools build their work by always: seeing the system, building goals from a root cause analysis, developing their efforts both inside and outside the school building, working at the pace of relationships, and authentically centering equity and racial justice.
NEA: Community School Strategy, School Level Implementation
This one-page roadmap outlines the school-level implementation of the community schools strategy, providing interest holders with a clear overview of the process at the site level.
Findings Report
Interest-holders and the Community School Coordinator create an engaging and easy-to-understand findings report that summarizes the data obtained from a Needs and Assets Assessment process.
Coalition for Community Schools: Community Schools Communications Toolkit
The Coalition for Community Schools, an initiative of the Institute for Educational Leadership, has developed this communications toolkit as the go-to resource for materials for effectively communicating the transformative impact of Community Schools. As advocates for comprehensive and community-driven education, the Coalition understands the importance of clear, compelling messaging. This information can guide organizers and supporters of the Community Schools movement in outreach to communities and lawmakers.
Data for Equity Protocol
To identify equity gaps in our system, reflect on the conditions that create and perpetuate them, and move forward with concrete steps for understanding and interrupting inequities.
Family Engagement Toolkit: Continuous Improvement through an Equity Lens
This toolkit helps districts integrate meaningful family engagement into academic and social-emotional learning goals to improve student outcomes. Grounded in the Dual Capacity-Building Framework, it emphasizes building both educator and family capacity, with a strong focus on equity and inclusion. Designed for district leaders, it offers adaptable strategies, tools, and a continuous improvement process to support effective and equitable family engagement across schools.
Greater LA R-TAC: Shared Understanding and Commitment Videos
To build a shared understanding and commitment around the Community Schools strategy, it’s essential that all interest holders—educators, students, families, and community partners—develop a common vision and language. The following videos offer a multi-faceted introduction to Community Schools, highlighting both foundational concepts and lived experiences. From local initiatives in L.A. County to voices from students and educators across California, these short yet powerful videos are intended to foster collective clarity and inspire a united commitment to the transformative potential of Community Schools.
A Community Schools Introductory Presentation
This presentation about transforming Hapgood Elementary into a Community School shows an opportunity to build on existing strengths—such as strong family ties and a caring culture—by fostering deeper collaboration among educators, families, and the community to support holistic student development, equity, and shared decision-making.
Anaheim – Parent Needs and Assets Assessment
The Community School Needs & Assets Survey is designed to gather valuable input from families to better understand the strengths, needs, and priorities of the school community. Curated for use at the school site level, this tool helps guide the development of programs, services, and engagement efforts that are aligned with the academic, social-emotional, and overall well-being of students and families.