When looking at large, urban school districts across America, one may observe many common issues that act as limitations for students. However, when taking a closer look at the data, each district and school has unique barriers that impact students and families. This study focuses on Buffalo City School District (BCSD), the second largest school…

The National Center for Families Learning's (NCFL) mission is to eradicate poverty through education solutions for families. For over 30 years, Family Learning programs have been ideal spaces for community members to activate their collective voices and organize to address community issues. Community Development is the practice of residents,…

This paper presents the process of conducting a community-wide needs assessment that initially focused on soliciting information about childcare needs of families with school-aged children. The researchers were interested in understanding whether the method designed to conduct the needs assessment helped to foster collaboration, trust, and…

The Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework, developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), has had a significant influence on how child- and family-serving programs operate and support healthy development and wellbeing. Many organizational partners and members of the Strengthening Families National Network are…

This executive summary describes the study, "Community Conditions That Strengthen Families: Protective Factors Work at the Community Level." The Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework, developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), has had a significant influence on how child- and family-serving programs…

Social impact assessment and benefits management is commonly measured in social communities' intervention plans. Although, its combined use lacks from a methodology or framework, which can assist in measuring those benefits and impacts. To achieve this, a business case tool has been applied in order to measure the benefits and Social Toolkit has…

Despite the persistent health inequities faced by rural women in the United States, few researchers have partnered with women in rural communities to co-create sustainable change. To fill this gap, Mothers Improving Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Outcomes Through stOry Sharing (MI-PHOTOS) employed a community-based participatory research (CBPR)…

The Oakland REACH (REACH), a parent-run education advocacy group embedded in a predominantly Black and Latinx community in Oakland, California, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by developing programming in response to community needs and found an opportunity to shape practices in schools. REACH's story demonstrates the potential for…

Theoretically, increasing family resilience, may contribute to an increase the resilience of communities. However families in South Africa experience challenges to their resilience, often owing to a variety of historic, socio-economic, and political factors. Research and intervention planning that attempts to ameliorate the effects these factors,…

National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) defines family leadership as strategies and services that improve and enhance the leadership skills of parenting adults and that are designed to support families in becoming advocates for themselves, their families, and their communities. This work is accomplished alongside the education and community…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine and understand educators' perceptions of the community support offered to kindergarten students and their families by the partnership between the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Robert B. Daugherty Education Center and Bancroft Elementary. These educators included those teaching or leading…

Community schools are an evidence-based strategy to advance a "whole child" approach to education by offering integrated student supports (e.g., health care or housing assistance), expanded and enriched learning time, family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership and practices. This brief examines how local government and…

Family learning systems are dependent upon coalitions of institutions, organizations, community members, and families who engage in deep, comprehensive work bringing together a continuum of programs and resources-- spanning birth through adulthood--in family literacy, family engagement, and family leadership. These intentional efforts will create…

Home visiting connects expectant parents, new caregivers, and their young children with a support person, called a home visitor. The home visitor meets regularly with the family, develops a relationship with them, and supports them to achieve their goals and meet their needs. To reach the thousands of additional families who could benefit from…

Although efforts have been made in the United States to increase diversity within the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, the Latino population is still largely underrepresented. This novel study focused on Latino underrepresentation by exploring Latino parents' attitudes toward science. We organized 15 family science…