In 2007, Walter P. Webb Middle School faced a crisis. One evening in January, the superintendent at the time held a meeting at the school in Austin, Texas, to let students, parents, teachers, and community members know that at the end of the academic year, their school would close. Thanks to a new state law focused on accountability, the…

Since Lehigh University was founded in 1865, it has been inextricably tied to the City of Bethlehem in eastern Pennsylvania. Rich in history and steeped in cultural tradition, the area continues to be an outstanding home for the university. In the aftermath of the fall of Bethlehem Steel, Lehigh and community partners are working together to forge…

Throughout the first 157 years of The Children's Aid Society, the economy has cycled through highs and lows, some more severe than the recession individuals are still experiencing. And through them all, Children's Aid has remained strong. The society has always developed new and effective strategies to serve New York City's most vulnerable…

No child should be born into poverty, but as we know all too well, millions are. In New York City, nearly one out of every three children is poor. It is the city's highest rate of child poverty in three decades. Poverty is more complex than the lack of financial resources--the most vulnerable children often lack access to adequate food, shelter,…

When the bell rings at the end of the school day, many elementary students in Rosa Parks School in Portland, Oregon, go to the local Boys and Girls Club to receive homework help and take part in fun activities. It's these kinds of partnerships between schools and government and nonprofit agencies that the Obama administration is hoping to foster.…

Only 8 percent of children born into poverty graduate from college by the age of 25. Consider what that means for the estimated 500,000 New York City kids living in poverty. It is a fact: The better educated a person is, the better her chances of upward mobility. So when fewer than one in 10 children born into poverty reach their academic…

A study shows that a municipality could save more than $1.5 million by including community facilities in a school building. (MLF)

The design of this new community school-facility in Clumbus, Indiana, involved parents, students, administrators, and faculty. Illustrated. (Author/MLF)

In the 1960s and 1970s, some communities developed community schools--facilities to accommodate multitudinous human services for people of all ages and interests. Some schools are reinventing themselves as community centers, developing educational and recreational programs for youths and adults; medical/mental health, social-service and…

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)

Grassroots organizing, planning, and political strength have resulted in a community school. (Author/MLF)

The Brightwood Community School of Springfield, Massachusetts, provides a concrete link to two communities previously separated by railroad tracks and a six-lane highway. (Author/MLF)

Many communities have more school space than they need, while demands for community-based services are growing. Reuse of surplus schools as community school centers is an option worth exploring. (Author/MLF)

RESEARCH ON SCHOOL DISTRICT REORGANIZATION VERIFIES THAT LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS OPERATE AS A FUNCTION OF THE STATE. AS REORGANIZATION RATES HAVE BEEN TOO SLOW, THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THE NEED FOR STATE LEGISLATIVE MANDATES FOR COMMUNITY-TYPE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. FOR IMPROVED UTILIZATION OF CONTEMPORARY KNOWLEDGE OF EDUCATION IN PROVIDING RICHER AND…