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Outcomes of Full-Service Schools

Evaluations of twenty full-service or community schools across the nation show that community schools have “a positive impact on what matters most to students, parents, communities and schools.” Studies have found that full-service schools lead to:

• Increased student learning.

• Greater parental participation in children’s education and in the school.

• More time spent on quality instruction because school staff can focus on teaching while the school’s community partners address non-academic barriers to learning.

• More opportunities for families to help educate their children and contribute to their community.

In addition, “community schools and their students come to be seen as valued resources, and communities feel a great stake in and accountability for student success.”
(Source: Coalition for Community Schools, Making the Difference: Research and Practice in Community Schools, 2003)

The comprehensive evaluation of full-service community schools commissioned by the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation in 2002 found that students' needs are better met when the adults responsible for providing services to students come together to deliver those services in a well-coordinated and collaborative manner.