It鈥檚 often said that if you want to go far, go together. That鈥檚 exactly the route that universities, school districts and other community partners take when it comes to empowering community schools 鈥� public schools that integrate academics with family and community support services.
Now, researchers at 草榴社区 are collaborating with scholars from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU), Florida International University (FIU) and the University of South Florida (USF) in elevating community schools across the state to the next level. Collectively, the four universities were awarded a Full-Service Community Schools grant to enhance and build upon the work of Florida鈥檚 community schools.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), the five-year, $50 million state-scaling grant provides necessary capacity to partner universities and school districts, equipping them to leverage institutional resources and support community schools in their regions. A聽University-Assisted Community Schools聽approach involves a mutually beneficial partnership between a school or school district and a university or college. The school receives additional resources and support for its students, families and school community. At the same time, the university advances its goals of serving the community while providing its students with further educational opportunities.
鈥淭his federal funding allows us to forge interdisciplinary partnerships among community schools, universities across Florida, and nonprofits to empower students to achieve their dreams and uplift families to build a strong community together,鈥� says , professor of exceptional education and the project鈥檚 co-principal investigator.
According to data from the Florida Department of Education, about 66% of the state鈥檚 K-12 students are classified as economically disadvantaged, leaving them socially and academically vulnerable. Along with helping to provide more resources for high-need districts, the grant will meet the ancillary needs of 16 current community schools 鈥� including Community Partnership Schools 鈥� and upscale the university-assistance arm to 24 new community schools.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 expect students to be successful in the classroom if their basic needs aren鈥檛 being met,鈥� says , director of and the project鈥檚 principal investigator. 鈥淐ommunity schools bring needed resources to the schools so students can learn, achieve and reach their greatest potential. The impact of the community-schools model is amplified through community connections and resources; we can鈥檛 continue to do our work alone. What we accomplish over the next four years will deepen and accelerate Florida students鈥� achievements by placing them on a trajectory of lifelong success.鈥�
Each partner university聽will work with its corresponding school district to invest in unique community needs. Although this grant supports four school districts 鈥� Hillsborough, Leon, Miami-Dade and Orange counties 鈥� all partner universities will expand on the knowledge and expertise gained to positively impact all Florida community schools. By leveraging existing collaborative efforts, university partners are empowered to scale up to a total of 40 enhanced or newly added University-Assisted Community Schools statewide in their respective regions. The project also scales up technical assistance by creating a statewide training academy that includes virtual learning opportunities, continuous improvement and coaching for participating community schools.
At Florida A&M University, that involves focusing on North Florida regional schools through the FAMU Developmental Research School and Leon County Public Schools.
鈥淚 look forward to the impactful changes that will benefit K-12 students and families within our regional community and throughout the state,鈥� says Allyson Watson, provost and vice president for academic affairs at FAMU. 鈥淎s the only HBCU (Historically Black College and University) partner, we fully understand our responsibility to聽be a part of solutions聽that聽seek聽to聽enhance our schools and optimize聽the academic, social and cognitive abilities of the communities we serve.”
The funding allocated to Florida International University will provide critical funding to scale FIU鈥檚 13-year University-Assisted Community Schools efforts, known as The Education Effect, to a total of 19 schools across six Miami-Dade communities.
鈥淲e equally value the opportunity for greater collaboration with Miami-Dade County Public Schools leadership to help ensure that FIU can be a key differentiator in accelerating tangible impact for the nation鈥檚 third-largest school district,鈥� says Phillip Lloyd Hamilton, assistant vice president for student belonging and support at FIU. 鈥淭ogether, we are cultivating a statewide movement encouraging the active engagement of communities in the success of children, families, educators, schools and public-school districts.鈥�
USF looks to deepen its partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools and leverage university resources to support the implementation of programs and services in local community schools.
鈥淧art of our mission is to partner with schools, families and communities to advance innovative participatory research, services and program evaluation,鈥� says Stacy-Ann January, co-director for USF鈥檚 Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy. 鈥淲e are also looking forward to expanding our partnership with the other institutions across the state who are part of the UPI initiative. Engaging in this important work together over the next five years and beyond only strengthens the impact community schools across the state will have in the lives of students and families.鈥�
Florida increased its investment in the strategy of community schools over the past decade, and now national support for community schools is catching up.鈥疌ongress has been increasingly investing in the Full-Service Community Schools grant program for several years, from $10 million in 2013 to $150 million in 2023. Combined, such collaborative efforts enhance existing work and open the door to fast-tracking goals of better student outcomes.
鈥淯pscaling the University-Assisted Community Schools model allows us to build upon our success by partnering with state universities, school districts and other agencies with the purpose of uplifting Florida鈥檚 students,鈥� says , dean of the College of Community Innovation and Education. 鈥淯niversities are important partners in this effort, and we are honored to play a crucial role in expanding upon the foundation that鈥檚 already in place with the work of community schools.鈥�
Researcher Credentials
Ellis joined 草榴社区 in 2015 and leads the university鈥檚 Center for Community Schools in its dedication to developing and sustaining high-quality community schools that support the whole child. She has three decades of experience in scaling initiatives, honing educational strategies and supporting underrepresented student populations. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from 草榴社区.
Vasquez is the director of the and professor for the College of Community Innovation and Education鈥檚 . He holds affiliate faculty status with , SREAL Synthetic Reality Lab and the 草榴社区 Learning Sciences Cluster. His research focuses on the evaluation of academic and behavioral outcomes for traditionally marginalized populations with executive functioning deficits. His research has been supported with over $85 million from the National Science Foundation, the USDOE Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the USDOE Office of Special Education Programs.
