Lea Community School

The Coalition for Community Schools defines “community school” in the following manner:

A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Its integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement leads to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities. Community schools offer a personalized curriculum that emphasizes real-world learning and community problem-solving. Schools become centers of the community and are open to everyone––all day, every day, evenings and weekends.

Using public schools as hubs, community schools bring together many partners to offer a range of supports and opportunities to children, youth, families, and communities. Partners work to achieve these results: Children are ready to enter school; students attend school consistently; students are actively involved in learning and their community; families are increasingly involved with their children's education; schools are engaged with families and communities; students succeed academically; students are healthy––physically, socially, and emotionally; students live and learn in a safe, supportive, and stable environment, and communities are desirable places to live.

At Lea, we define a “community school” as a school that addresses the interests, needs, and dreams of every member of the school community through collective action. It is a school committed to the holistic development of every child and adult served by the school, and to supporting the growth of the whole person––their academic, civic, social, emotional, and physical development. It is a school built upon a culture of collaboration and cooperation among all school stakeholders, including students and their families, faculty and staff, partners and community members, youth and adults. It is a school that is made of, by, and for the individuals and communities it serves. Lea’s community school strategy is guided by these principles, and will serve as the foundation for the continued development of the school’s core values, practices, and programming.