What is a ‘Community School’?

You may be unfamiliar with the concept of community schools, but It has become a Chicago Public Schools (CPS) area of focus. A community school is an existing school that functions as a hub for a variety of programming that wraps around existing curricula to support the educational and social service needs of the students. It also boosts parental and community engagement. Think “it takes a village.”

As far back as 2006, CPS was supporting partnerships between certain schools and external stakeholders to increase access to academic and non-academic programs for students and their families within and outside of the regular school day. Examples of said programming includes expanded learning opportunities for low-income populations, enhanced music, art, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), wellness services and restorative practices. 

200 Schools Participate

Evidence of these various programs and levels of engagement can be seen in some 200 schools. Programming varies greatly based on the needs and interests of a community, the resources available, funding sources, and school and funder objectives. 

Currently, funding for community schools comes from one of three models: 1) grants, 2) external organizations and 3) the Sustainable Community Schools (SCS) initiative. Programming and services available through grants and external organizations are specific to the funders’ missions. The third funding model, Sustainable Community Schools, was recently announced as a priority by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Sustainable Community Schools

Sustainable Community Schools (SCS) is a collaboration between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and their partner agencies. SCS originated in Chicago to address long-standing school inequities in various communities. Currently, there are SCS wrap-around services at 20 district schools with the goal to expand to 50 schools in the near term and 200 schools in the long term. 

The eventual goal is to have all district schools function as strong community school hubs with a department to oversee rapid expansion and long-term metrics, per Mayor Johnson’s education transition report. The League will continue to follow the expansion of community schools from all funding sources.

How to Get Involved

LWV Chicago’s Education Committee, chaired by Rae Sokolow, monitors issues related to education policy and public education and financing. Members also advocate for issues related to education public policy in Chicago. If you’re interested in public education and want to get involved, email us at league@lwvchicago.org.