You were recently named the director of Hartford Community Schools. Can you explain the program?
The community schools approach is being implemented in five Hartford schools over several years.
Basically, “community schools” is a strategy for coordinating social services and supports to students and families in ways that support academic achievement.
These activities can include mental and physical health services, after school programs, connections to social services to support basic human needs, training and employment support for parents, and any other needs that are identified as particular to that school community.
Central to the model is a close partnership between a lead social service agency, which hires a site coordinator who acts as a partner to the school principal for all non-academic activities happening in the school building.
Hartford Community Schools is a public-private partnership between Hartford public schools, the Hartford Office of Youth Services, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut.
The public-private partnership was formed “to close the Hartford-suburban education gap.” Is it ever realistic that the gap can be closed? Aren’t there too many socioeconomic issues that can’t be solved before the gap can be closed?
The beauty of the community schools model is that it maximizes and streamlines resources.
In the past, often multiple agencies working in schools would develop their own strategies, at times creating an atmosphere of competition rather than strengthening the whole.
As a “one-stop” strategy, community schools maximize the impact of what any one provider or service is able to deliver on its own and at the same time, increase the use of services by families.
We are confident that community schools can help close the achievement gap as a number of urban school districts have done under a comprehensive reform strategy.
The economic reality is that we literally cannot afford to leave another generation of students undereducated and unprepared to play a role in the future of growth and development of Greater Hartford.
How much do these community schools improve academic performance? Do students in these schools continue through to high school graduation and college studies?
Community schools impact academic performance in a number of ways.
First, remedial tutoring, support with homework completion, and the use of research-based curricula that are engaging, fun and hands-on in the after-school hours can help students stay on course with academic achievement.
Second, the extra social service supports at a community school can advance the education goals.
Several studies, including one published in the Journal of Optometric Vision Development, have shown that 50 percent or more of minority and low income children have vision problems that interfere with their academic work.
Providing an ongoing vision screening program that also provides free eyewear to students can improve students’ ability to succeed academically.
Finally, the supportive and consistent relationships a student develops with the community school staff, makes the student want to be at school, increasing attendance rates, instructional time, and thus academic attainment.
