Building the community school movement: vision, organization, and leadership

On a local level, creating and sustaining community schools requires leadership from local government, schools, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. These groups must provide the fuel and direction to move the community school strategy forward along a common vision and with strategic methods for financing. At the federal level, it must continue to build constituency for community schools if it is to succeed, although the community school movement has made great strides in recent years. There is not now a coherent federal framework to support the community school vision. The proposed Full Services Community Schools legislation would build a national constituency and legislate key principles advocated by the Coalition for Community Schools: developing districtwide community school strategies, focusing on results, and improving coordination of funding streams.