Letter to the CDE and SBE about Community Schools

Community schools emphasize both the holistic and coordinated nature of improvement efforts that can make a difference for students. The California Community Schools Partnership program is an important and welcome investment from the state, but aspects of the current environment and traditional patterns of policymaking in the state could undercut the potential for achieving and sustaining coherent implementation at the local level. This letter from incoming and outgoing California Collaborative chairs Joel Knudson and Jennifer O’Day offers three considerations for finalizing the details of the community schools grants program to increase the likelihood of realizing its admirable goals.