Family and community engagement is a hallmark of an effective community school. In a community school, families and community members participate in decision‐making, hold leadership roles that drive school change, and are partners in students’ holistic development. NYC community schools utilize the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships developed by Dr. Karen Mapp.
Community schools incorporate a family engagement strategy that solicits and incorporates the expertise and knowledge of families into all aspects of the community school, including assets and needs assessment, collaborative planning, and the implementation and continuous improvement of community school programs and services.
At least two family engagement events are present at all community schools and organized collaboratively by the school and lead CBO.
- Community School Forum: A celebratory event as well as an assessment vehicle to gather qualitative data from families on trends, services, school culture and goals, etc. This input is incorporated into the school’s Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) for the following school year.
- Back-to-School Event/Family Night: Families are informed of school-wide priorities, services, volunteer opportunities, and engagement strategies.