Created in 1994 through the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) by the Improving America's Schools Act and expanded through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program was reauthorized in 2015 in Title IV, Part B of the ESEA by…

The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program was reauthorized in 2015 in Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 21st CCLC programs provide academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students meet challenging…

"Small Schools, Education, and the Importance of Community" focuses on three successful approaches for using the school as a catalyst for community development and revitalization, particularly in rural areas. The strategies also work well in suburban and urban areas. The three approaches described include: leadership by K-12 teachers,…

This "Afterschool Action Kit" contains tips on what the community can do to support afterschool programs. The kit is a useful tool for parents, community members or practitioners, and gives advice on finding or starting a quality program, identifying program needs and what resources to tap for help. The kit notes that Americans agree that…

The question of how best to serve its constituents arises for any organization that is part of a campus or community. This guide is intended to address questions regarding assessment of impact, identifying targets for improvement, and ensuring organizational recognition. Seven strategies for maximizing impact are presented: (1) Be focused; (2) Be…

Discusses the major components typically found in successful funding applications and reviews a Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFP) publication that will assist in identifying funding sources for planning, constructing, or renovating community-use facilities. (Author/MLF)

A recently completed elementary school in Dublin, Ohio, has a 13-acre school-in-a-park locale shared with the community. On evenings and weekends, area residents have access to the school's activities area for a self-contained community center. (MLF)

First constructed in Alberta in 1974, expandable-contractible core schools contain a permanent structure to which a number of relocatable classrooms may be attached. The facilities can also serve as community centers. Almost 40 percent of the elementary school space constructed in the past seven years is relocatable. (MLF)

Describes a comprehensive high school that is a total educational community and recreational center designed and built around the planners' belief that the educational facilities of today and tomorrow must be flexible enough to meet the requirements of a variety of uses. (Author)

Community education in New Jersey will benefit from legislation financing the construction of facilities that deliver community and social services. Five departments of state government are to cooperatively develop a minimum of ten local models of community education facilities. (Author/MLF)

Looks at what some communities faced with declining enrollment have done to solve the problem of excess school space. (MLF)

The Surplus Schools Project was designed to stimulate and encourage the adaptive use and preservation of vacant school buildings in New York State. Through a statewide competition, the Preservation League selected four surplus schools that were located in four distinctly different communities and presented a broad range of problems and…

Parking, room temperature controls, wear-and-tear on furnishings, security, and other factors that should be considered in designing a community center are discussed. The importance of good planning based on community needs is emphasized. (PP)

In a foreword to this document, David Mathews, president of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, describes in what ways effective communities are different from ineffective ones. Following an introduction, a section on school use suggests that most schools offer nothing to adults without children, so it should be no surprise that many adults are…

The Central Park Project, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, illustrates the importance of participation in the design process and the impact of school sites on children as well as on the surrounding neighborhood. (Author/MLF)