Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1527898
A Team Effort Community Schools Learning Lab gives locals — and partners — the tools to succeed By Katharine Fong F O R C E L I A M E D I N A - O W E N S , seeing a fully operational Community School up close and hearing from educators, union leaders and district of ficials directly involved in it was invaluable. "We were able to get a common understanding of what com- munity schools could be and how to implement them with all stakeholders," said Medina-Owens, president of Pittsburg Edu- cation Association (PEA), of her and her local's participation in the inaugural program of the National Community Schools Learning Lab. "We read about and discuss community schools, but to experience it solidified the theory." e Learning Lab, hosted by Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association (ASTA) and the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD), took place in mid-September. Teams from four other CTA locals — Association of Rowland Educators, Mountain View Teachers Association, San Mateo Elementary Teachers Association and United Teachers of Pasadena — also partici- pated in the two-day Learning Lab. Medina-Owens attended with key members of her local as well as Pittsburg Unified School District administrators. Sim- ilarly, other teams were comprised of local leaders, educators, district superintendents and administrators and in some cases, parents and community partners. These teams, in fact, represent the collaborative nature of successful community schools, which work through a shared decision-making model. Specifically, community school steering committees at both the district and site levels are composed of multiple stakeholders — all the above, along with students — who have equal voice and input. e objectives of the Learning Lab, funded with a $750,000, three-year grant to ASTA from NEA's Great Public Schools ini- tiative, are to give participating teams the fundamental tools to • build and sustain strong, shared leadership and governance; • connect and forge alliances with families and community partners; • recruit and train essential staff; • develop curriculum that is academically robust and responsive to students' needs inside and outside the classroom. The ultimate goal is racially and socially just community schools that support student success and well-being, where stu- dents, families, educators and community partners are engaged and invested in their schools and in their communities. The inaugural National Community Schools Learning Lab brought together five local teams from across the state and program facilitators. 18 cta.org Feature