Martin J. Blank: 'Community Schools are Smart Schools'
Coalition for Community Schools - San Francisco Marriott Marquis
This year, the Coalition for Community Schools joins with California community school leaders and advocates to convene a diverse group of stakeholders committed to better results for young people across the nation. The 2012 National Forum will engage a broad audience of policymakers, administrators and practitioners who want to learn how to put together school and community assets to support student success.This year’s theme, Scaling up School and Community Partnerships: The Community Schools Strategy reflects the Coalition’s new guide. We are consciously encouraging school and community leaders to develop long-term systemic approaches to community schools implementation – approaches that are consistent with our belief that community schools are fundamental to education reform. Scale up efforts are particularly important at a time when there is growing discussion about the influence non-school factors, particularly poverty, has on student achievement. The emphasis on scaling up also connects community schools to strategies such as Promise Neighborhoods, Choice Neighborhoods, P-20 initiatives, and Cradle-to-Career education.