A February 2012 quantitative analysis from the Center for American Progress of California's Redwood City School District's five community schools, which offered 250 programs, services, and events in 2010-11, shows that English-learner students with consistent program participation showed gains in English language development scores. In elementary grades, these gains were tied to family engagement, but continued gains during middle school were associated with frequent extended-learning program participation. Feeling supported at school was linked to students' motivation and academic confidence, both of which were associated with gains in achievement in math for all students and English language development scores for English learners. The report therefore recommends expanding community schools, and, in the current economic climate, urges policymakers at state and federal levels to foreground community schools as an efficient, cost-effective way to leverage scarce resources through citywide partnerships and community-school initiatives. Policymakers should streamline multiple and fractured funding sources to foster common goals, and encourage crucial family engagement by inviting parents to partner in a variety of opportunities both at school and at home. Policymakers can facilitate data collection and analysis by clarifying and aligning regulations on data-sharing at federal and state levels. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

Published by LEAP

Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.