Community Schools in Action: Lessons from a Decade of Practice

by Joy G. Dryfoos, Jane Quinn, Carol Barkin

Overview

A community school differs from other public schools in important ways: it is generally open most of the time, governed by a partnership between the school system and a community agency, and offers a broad array of health and social services. It often has an extended day before and after school, features parent involvement programs, and works for community enrichment. How should such a school be structured? How can its success be measured? Community Schools in Action: Lessons from a Decade of Practice presents the Children's Aid Society's (CAS) approach to creating community schools for the 21st century. CAS began this work more than a decade ago and today operates thirteen such schools in three low-income areas of New York City. Through a technical assistance center operated by CAS, hundreds of other schools across the country and the world are adapting this model. Based on their own experiences working with community schools, the contributors to the volume supply invaluable information about the selected program components. They describe how and why CAS started its community school initiative and explain how CAS community schools are organized, integrated with the school system, sustained, and evaluated. The book also includes several contributions from experts outside of CAS: a city superintendent, an architect, and the director of the Coalition for Community Schools. Co-editors Joy Dryfoos, an authority on community schools, and Jane Quinn, CAS's Assistant Executive Director of Community Schools, have teamed up with freelance writer Carol Barkin to provide commentary linking the various components together. For those interested in transforming their schools into effective child- and family-centered institutions, this book provides a detailed road map. For those concerned with educational and social policy, the book offers a unique example of research-based action that has significant implications for our society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195169591
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/24/2005
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	9.39(w) x 6.45(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Joy Dryfoos is one of the founders of the Coalition for Community Schools and the Boston Roundtable for Full-Service Schools. In recent years, she has focused on "full-service community schools", her approach to transforming public schools to be responsive to the real needs of children and their families.

Jane Quinn is a social worker with more than 30 years experience, including direct service with children and families, program development, fundraising, grantmaking, research and advocacy. She currently serves as the Assistant Executive Director for Community Schools at The Chidren's Aid Society (CAS) in New York City.

Carol Barkin is a freelance editor with a particular interest in the social sciences and psychology, as well as in books for children. She is also the author of more than 40 books for adults and children, which include both fiction and nonfiction.

Table of Contents

Preface - Joy G. Dryfoos
List of Children's Aid Society Community Schools
Timeline of the Children's Aid Society Community Schools Initiative
Section One: Overview: Rationale, History, and Approach
Introduction - Joy G. Dryfoos
Chapter 1: Why the Children's Aid Society Is Involved in This Work - Philip Coltoff
Chapter 2: History of the Children's Aid Society Model - C. Warren Moses
Chapter 3: Community Schools from a Lead Agency Administrator's Perspective - Richard Negron
Section Two: Core Program Components
Introduction - Joy G. Dryfoos
Chapter 4: Parent Involvement and Leadership in Action- Hersilia Mendez
Chapter 5: After-School and Summer Enrichment Programs - Sarah Jonas
Chapter 6: Early Childhood Programs - Andrew Seltzer
Chapter 7: School-Based Health Services - Beverly Colon
Chapter 8: Mental Health Services - Scott Bloom
Chapter 9: Promoting Community and Economic Development - Yvonne Green
Section Three: Leadership, Management, and Governance Issues
Introduction - Joy G. Dryfoos
Chapter 10: The Power of Two or More: Partnership from a School Administrator's Perspective - Luis Malave
Chapter 11: Managing the Growth of Community Schools - Hayin Kim
Chapter 12: Sustaining Community Schools: Learning from Children's Aid Society's Experience - Jane Quinn
Chapter 13: Evaluation of Children's Aid Society Community Schools - Clareann Grimaldi and Helene Clark
Section Four: National Implications
Introduction - Joy G. Dryfoos
Chapter 14: National and International Adaptations of the Children's Aid Society Model - Janice Chu-Zhu
Chapter 15: Extended Service Schools as a District-Wide Strategy - Thomas Payzant
Chapter 16: Schools as Centers of Community: Planning and Design - Steven Bingler
Chapter 17: Reaching Out to Create a Movement - Martin Blank
Looking to the Future - Joy G. Dryfoos and Jane Quinn
Appendix 1: Statement of Support for the Children's Aid Society/Community School District 6 Community School Partnership Plan (Chapter 1)
Appendix 2: Sample Responses to Home-School Activity (Chapter 6)
Appendix 3: Forms Used in Mental Health Services at CAS Comunity Schools (Chapter 8)
Appendix 4: Student Data Form for Evaluation of Children's Aid Society Community Schools (Chapter 13)
Appendix 5: Stages of Development of a Children's Aid Society Community School (Chapter 14)