Community Schools: Bolstering the American Dream

"How can American schools, where more than half the students are children of color, who speak little English, and come from poor families defy the odds and begin to thrive? One example is Stevenson-YMCA Community School in Long Beach, Calif. It’s open early and late, evenings and weekends; it provides for all students and their families high-quality teaching, tutoring, before- and after-school programs, counseling, health services, parent engagement and leadership programs, arts and recreation, community and business partnerships, and additional opportunities at or near the school. It’s a community school by design -- a hub of productivity for the neighborhood. Not only have all these partnerships and supportive relationships changed the culture of the school, but, according to community members, the school has changed the culture of the entire neighborhood. A drive through the neighborhood at 5 p.m. reveals modest, neatly kept houses and loads of families coming home from work and school to start their evening routines. Visitors feel none of the tension and highly guarded climate so prevalent in high-poverty neighborhoods. People seem to have purpose and feel safe, writes Lisa Villarreal for 'Our Children' PTA’s national magazine. What Stevenson does is not a new intervention or strategy; it’s actually a return to the historical idea of schools as the center of community."