Recently, Hamilton County Schools officials announced the pilot of four community school models this fall in Opportunity Zone schools, and earlier this year Red Bank High School celebrated the one-year anniversary of its own community school launch.
But what are community schools and what purpose do they serve? Aren’t schools already a community, some might ask. Isn’t the community already inherently involved in public schools?
Here’s what you need to know about community schools.
1. Community schools aren’t a new idea. Though Hamilton County only launched its first community school in 2017, other Tennessee school districts have had them for much longer. Knox County established its first of 13 community schools six years ago and Communities in Schools, the leading agency for Metro Nashville’s community schools, was established in the 1970’s.
2. Community schools don’t look the same at every school. Community schools are sometimes referred to as “full-service” or “extended service” schools. Some only have afterschool programs to extend the school day, some have health clinics and pharmacies on campus, some have two main partners and some have several. Research suggests that the most successful community schools extend services based on the neighborhoods’ needs, whether that means parenting classes and an on-site preschool or immigration services and dental care.