Coalition for Community Schools

Coalition for Community Schools
Name	Coalition for Community Schools
Formation	1988
Type	Nonprofit coalition
Headquarters	New York City
Region served	United States
Leader title	Executive Director

Coalition for Community Schools is an American nonprofit coalition that promotes integrated student supports and school-centered community partnerships linking schools with social services, families, and community development organizations. Founded in the late 1980s amid efforts to expand community schools and full-service community schools models, the Coalition works with local districts, national networks, and federal agencies to advance practice, policy, and research. It engages with practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and advocates to scale strategies across urban, suburban, and rural contexts.

History

The Coalition emerged from collaborations among leaders in education reform, social work, and community development in the late 1980s and early 1990s, connecting activists associated with the Annenberg Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Ford Foundation. Early partnerships included practitioners from the Institute for Educational Leadership, researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and district leaders from New York City Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools, and Boston Public Schools. During the 1990s and 2000s the Coalition aligned with national initiatives such as the Every Student Succeeds Act advocacy movements, collaborations with the United Way of America, and dialogues with federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In the 2010s it engaged with networks like the Coalition for Community Schools-aligned local hubs, national intermediaries such as Children's Aid Society, and international scholars from institutions including the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania.

Mission and Goals

The Coalition's stated mission centers on advancing equitable outcomes by supporting school-centered partnerships that connect students and families to services, coordinate community-based organizations, and foster local leadership aligned with district and state priorities. Its goals include promoting evidence-based models championed by organizations like the Academic Development Institute, influencing policy conversations at the U.S. Congress and state legislatures, and strengthening practitioner networks spanning philanthropy such as the Gates Foundation and regional funders. It emphasizes equity in neighborhoods served by initiatives similar to those led by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, collaborating with civil rights organizations such as the NAACP and advocacy groups like the Children's Defense Fund.

Programs and Services

Programs include technical assistance for districts and community partners, professional development aligned with practices from the Harvard Kennedy School and the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and resource development in partnership with research centers at the RAND Corporation and the Urban Institute. Services feature site-based coaching, implementation guidance used by districts like Los Angeles Unified School District and Houston Independent School District, and convenings with stakeholders from the National School Boards Association, National Education Association, and Learning Policy Institute. The Coalition offers toolkits, webinars, and implementation frameworks reflecting research from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform and program models practiced by organizations such as Communities In Schools and the YMCA.

Partnerships and Funding

The Coalition collaborates with philanthropic partners including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and local funders in cities like Philadelphia and Detroit. It partners with national intermediaries such as the United Way, Children's Aid Society, and Communities In Schools, and coordinates with governmental bodies including the U.S. Department of Education, state education agencies, and city offices of mayors in municipalities such as New York City and Chicago. Funding sources encompass foundation grants, municipal contracts, and program-specific awards from institutions like the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and collaborations with universities including Columbia University and UCLA.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluation efforts draw on methodologies developed at the RAND Corporation, the Urban Institute, and the Institute of Education Sciences, using mixed-methods research, longitudinal student outcomes, and community-level indicators. Impact reports have examined associations with improved attendance, graduation rates, and family engagement in districts similar to Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Baltimore City Public Schools, informed by comparative studies from the Brookings Institution and the American Institutes for Research. The Coalition supports rigorous evaluation partnerships with research teams at University of Chicago and University of Michigan and promotes data-sharing agreements consistent with privacy standards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and state education agencies.

Organizational Structure and Governance

Governance typically includes an executive director, a board of directors composed of leaders from philanthropy, academia, and practice, and an advisory council featuring representatives from districts, nonprofit partners, and research institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, and Princeton University. Staff roles cover policy advocacy, research coordination, and field implementation support working alongside practitioners from public school districts, community-based organizations like the YWs and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and legal partners such as the Education Law Center. The Coalition engages in strategic planning with major partners including the Annenberg Foundation and conducts periodic external audits in line with standards promoted by the Council on Foundations.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City