Forging partnerships, opening doors

The idea of community schools as a means of supporting challenged populations has gained currency in recent years. As the mandate of education expands from provision of traditional academic instruction to recognize the complex needs of children in the 21st Century, the self-contained model of the school becomes increasingly inadequate to meet the needs of students. In addition, the recognition of the importance of parental involvement in children's schooling leads to the corollary recognition that parental wellbeing is an important contributor to student achievement. From there it is a short step to recognize that a healthy community is a healthy learning environment and that community and school collaboration has real potential for improving all aspects of student achievement. Community collaboration may include both involvement with other formal service providers (e.g., healthcare agencies, social service agencies) and involvement with informal groups such as parent coffee gatherings.