How community schools are closing the gap Continued from page 30


for families and other community members can provide a good foundation to build on. The planning process relies on useful


data for assessing community needs and as- sets. Mapping patterns in chronic absence can provide a good foundation for assessing both community needs and assets. Chronic absence, defined as missing 10 percent or more excused or unexcused days over the course of the school year, is a proven early warning sign for both academic failure and dropping out of school (Chang & Romero, 2003). It is important to address chronic absenteeism because research confirms that students do worse in school if they are not in class to learn. Patterns in absenteeism and a close look


at the reasons for absenteeism can provide a very reliable map of student and com- munity needs. Chronic absence reflects the degree to which schools, communities and families are adequately addressing the needs of children and youth. At Oakland Unified School District,


Superintendent Tony Smith has employed a district-wide focus on attendance. Rec- ognizing the power of data to drive reform, Smith’s first step was changing the atten- dance reports provided to principals to in- clude individual student data, which high- lights chronic absence. Principals receive training on how to work with service pro- viders to address what keeps students from attending school regularly (Attendance Works, 2011).


Why summer matters The research on summer learning loss


elevates summer programming as a critical issue. Summer learning loss is the debilitat- ing result of an absence of summer learn- ing and enrichment. Research shows low- income children to be nearly three grade equivalents behind their more affluent peers in reading by the end of the fifth grade as a result of summer learning loss (National Summer Learning Association, 2009). In addition, unequal summer learning opportunities during elementary school


years are responsible for about two-thirds of the ninth-grade achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth (Alexan- der et. al., 2007). Clearly, the cumulative ef- fects of summer learning loss contribute di- rectly to a widening of the achievement gap between low-income and middle-income students. As the budget situation grows more se-


vere, the need for partners to pool their resources to provide meaningful summer


areas for districts to choose from, and each area could arguably constitute its very own initiative. It is important to start small, by both piloting at a few sites and by testing out and then expanding on some key strategies that have the greatest potential impact. Equally important is for a community


to set itself up not to climb a mountain in a relatively short time, but to go slow to go fast. Indeed, many Healthy Start efforts still serving children and families today started


programs becomes even more critical. Mt. Diablo Unified School District offers up to six weeks of summer programming at 16 sites serving more than 2,000 students. Pro- grams include a mix of academic (science, math, computer lab, etc.) and enrichment activities (fitness, nutrition, gardening and field trips). A close partnership with the city of Con-


cord’s parks and recreation department en- ables the district to provide this rich array of summer opportunities. The city contributes a considerable amount of its own resources by jointly hiring and training the site coor- dinators and recreation specialists.


Start small and scale up Contemplating the breadth of what


might be possible to create community schools can be daunting. The request for proposals for the federal Full Service Com- munity Schools Grants listed 12 service


at a single school site and now serve entire districts or even entire counties. For example, Ontario-Montclair School


District (K-8) launched its collaborative ef- fort in 1997 with a series of Healthy Start grants and currently serves all 32 schools in the district. Students and families are con- nected to services through outreach staff at each school site and a network of family re- source centers. Through ongoing strategic planning


and community assessments, the district and its partners have built on their family resource center-based strategy to methodi- cally add school sites and additional services over time. This past winter, OMSD opened a new family resource center with Mental Health Services Act – Prevention and Early Intervention funds and a building donated by the city of Montclair using redevelopment funds. “A range of services are needed to ensure


March/April 2012 37


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