Improving performance in an environment often tested by intermingled social problems, including poverty, racial isolation, cultural clashes between teachers and students, and school funding disparities requires authentic, committed family, school, and community partnerships. Using Bryk's (2010) model for effective and improving schools, our study…

Although a substantial body of evidence documents the potential effectiveness of the community school strategy, we are still determining why community schools have shown uneven results. To address this gap, we investigate how leaders developed social capital in three established community schools that serve marginalized communities. Drawing on…

A key dimension to social justice leadership is building authentic partnerships with families and community-based organizations to confront educational inequities. Authentic partnerships are respectful alliances among educators, families, and community agencies that value building relationships, communicating across difference, and sharing power…

Public schools in the United States have struggled to determine whether their mandate is simply knowledge transmission or includes the development and well-being of the whole child. Contemporary realities of resegregation and inequality have prompted many districts to embrace this latter notion and consider the Full Service Community Schools…

In recent years, community school (CS) reform efforts have been established and implemented as a method of realizing comprehensive school reform in under-performing school districts. This study investigates the impact of one CS initiative in a middle school on student academic and nonacademic outcomes over time and compared to a propensity score…

This mixed methods study examines the relationship between full-service community schools (FSCSs) and student attendance in Baltimore City Public Schools. We hypothesize the FSCS strategy promotes student attendance by building meaningful partnerships between families and schools via personal relationships and systematic opportunities for…

The purpose of this study was to explore sustainability of social conditions and achievement outcomes in six full-service community schools (FSCSs) in two districts (Tulsa and Union Public Schools) associated with the Tulsa Area Community Schools Initiative (TACSI). Three questions guided the inquiry: How has TACSI changed over the last 9 years?…

This article reports the effects of attending an elementary full-service community school (FSCS) on a variety of student academic outcomes in high school. The focal FSCS, Key Elementary, serves students in grades K-5 in a diverse southeastern New York State (NYS) school district. The academic performance of students, born between 1991 and 1996,…

Full-service community schools are designed to increase students, and families' access to comprehensive and coordinated supports, services, and programs such as medical care, food aid, and enrichment activities. Despite widespread support, the research base documenting the efficacy of community schools is still emerging. Analyzing longitudinal…

Over a decade of research has demonstrated the positive effects of extended school day programs on various elementary and middle school student outcomes, both in the short and long term. The efficacy of extended school day programs in promoting academic outcomes among high school students is less well understood. This study contributes to the…