Models of education Tue, 09/09/2014 - 7:00am | Nicole Lafond CHAMPAIGN — On Monday evening, the Unit 4 school board approved plans to implement a Community Schools model at three north Champaign elementary schools — Garden Hills, Stratton and Booker T. Washington STEM Academy. Nationwide, nearly 3,000 schools operate under the model, which approaches education and child development from a holistic standpoint with the goal of placing all the programs that families need under one roof. The first step: Schools develop partnerships with community stakeholders, such as nonprofit organizations and local businesses. Those stakeholders invest in and run various after-school programs for children and parents. The schools then grow to function as hubs that focus on nurturing families to become self-sufficient, active members of their communities, according to Melissa Mitchell, executive director of the Illinois Federation of Community Schools. Each Community School is different, Mitchell said, but programs are designed to offer families services they may not normally have access to, in categories such as: outside-of-school and summer programs, early childhood resources, tutoring and mentoring, mental health support, college and career guidance, arts, academic support and enrichment, healthcare and social services, and employment and training assistance. Everyone has a talent to share, and Community Schools are about tapping into community resources, Mitchell said. We also work to promote family engagement through shared leadership and shared decision making. Community Schools function through partnerships, which are established and maintained by full-time resource coordinators who work in the schools and address the needs of children, families and the community at large. Talk of implementing the model at the three elementary schools began as a means of fulfilling promises made in the 2001 consent decree to promote racial equality and excellence in education at schools in the northern zone of Champaign. The decree was reached after federal complaints were filed against the school district. In response, in 2006, an idea called Great Campus was developed to promote equity in the classroom and interconnect student, family and community development. The Community Schools model should help fulfill the goals of the Great Campus vision, according to community leader Imani Bazzell. Bazzell has been working with Unit 4 Superintendent Judy Wiegand to explore the Community Schools model. The three elementary schools were chosen because they are located in the northern school zone and they offer unique magnet school specializations — the International Baccalaureate program at Garden Hills, the STEM academy at Booker T. Washington and the new performing arts theme at Stratton. Were not starting at zero. Weve already gotten a lot of community input and we have three top magnets already in this zone, so we are not starting with nothing, Bazzell said. We want schools in our zone to become hubs for the community, not spaces that open at 7 and close at 3. This is a whole new way of doing school. This is the way of doing schools of the future. The next step is to begin establishing community partnerships and hiring resource coordinators for the three schools, which Wiegand hopes to make progress with by spring 2015. The school board was receptive to Monday nights presentation by Bazzell and Mitchell and even suggested including Dr. Howard Elementary School in the new program. Everyone else will want to be a part of this, school board President Laurie Bonnett said. Im very excited about the holistic approach. Its not a small task, but this is important for our kids.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 13:11:26 +0000
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