While much of the Obama administration’s focus on boosting Latino and African-American student achievement is on in-classroom instruction and school management, policymakers are increasingly advocating for changes in school structure to better accommodate students’ nonacademic needs. Community schools are one such structural change.
These schools—many in communities of color—partner with nonprofit organizations or city agencies to provide students with a variety of services —health, dental, mental health, afterschool enrichment—that help them be successful in school. Community schools exist in urban and rural areas, operate on the primary and secondary level, and even as charter schools.
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