COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Case studies of what works

Baltimore 03 Maryland 03 BALTIMORE CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Community schools, out-of-school-time programs (learning opportunities that take place outside the typical school day), and wraparound services have long existed, separately, in order to meet the needs of Baltimore youth and families. In the early 2000s, these various efforts were uncoordinated, which limited their impact. In 2012, the mayor’s office and Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) adopted the Family League of Baltimore’s Community and School Engagement strategy to align the resources and goals of the schools and community. The strategy engaged community-based organizations, such as Elev8 Baltimore and the Y in Central Maryland, to coordinate community school and out-of-school-time efforts. Today, BCPS has approximately 50 community schools engaging with a variety of community partners. The Family League (http:// familyleague.org/), a Baltimore-based nonprofit organization, currently manages funding, partnerships and development, as well as convenes the community school initiative coordinating community partners at the city level. Marietta English, president of the Baltimore Teachers Union (BTU) (http://www.baltimoreteachers.org/), and her members play a key role at school sites as well as at the district and city levels, helping serve the whole child and helping achieve the city’s community school vision. Baltimore’s public school needs achieving this, because each Education Roundtable that included and assets are as diverse as their school tailors its strategy to the community school staff, families population of 82,000 students, specific needs of the school. and students, as well as politicians, creating a rich set of opportunities local community leaders, and and challenges. Twenty-four community organizations such as percent of Baltimore residents Role of the Union: Working Maryland’s Communities United and with children live in poverty, which Smart with the Community the Center for Popular Democracy.6 is above the state and national and District The Education Roundtable was averages, 8 and 15 percent established by President English 1 BTU seeks “to ensure that every respectively. Sixty-five percent of student in the city is guaranteed as a strategy to respond to AFT students qualify as low-income and a program of quality education.”5 President Randi Weingarten’s 5.6 percent are English language call to action: Reclaiming the 2 For BCPS community schools, this learners (ELL). Larger percentages means ensuring that effective Promise of Public Education. The of these two types of populations Roundtable has played a crucial 3 systems and funding are in place attend community schools. to provide necessary supports role in reclaiming Baltimore’s While 77 percent of kindergarten both at school and out of school. promise by addressing education students are at grade level “ready opportunities and challenges, to learn,” only 55 percent of Ensuring Sustainability while increasing collaboration students are reading at “proficient Through Advocacy among diverse stakeholders and or advanced” levels by eighth groups representing parents, grade.4 Educators, administrators One of the ways in which BTU educators and community and community partners are sustains high-quality education members, notes Chandra Carriere, countering poverty’s impact, such programs is by advocating for BTU field representative and as hunger and poor health, by resource equity. BTU’s partnership community schools liaison. creating meaningful partnerships with the Community Schools to leverage the resources and to Initiative deepened when the Creating Deep Roots help students be ready to learn. initiative was experiencing funding Through Policy difficulties. BTU not only helped Demaune Millard, interim president BTU’s partnership with BCPS and CEO of the Family League, push for increased funding but also leveraged the union’s and the community helped drive notes that each community school the enactment of Maryland addresses students’ academic organizing assets to advocate for expanding the initiative. In House Bill 1139 (http://mgaleg. and nonacademic needs, but maryland.gov/2016RS/bills/hb/ also emphasizes that “there is this effort, they collaborated with a coalition of allies from the hb1139T.pdf) and community no cookie-cutter method” in school board policy. H.B. 1139

PAGE 2 / AFT defines community schools and and resources that are available in Medical Services in the funding that schools could their respective schools, as well as Baltimore Schools receive; it also requires the state to professional development in areas At Collington Square Elementary/ notify districts about the possibility such as team-leadership skills. Middle School, along with of creating community schools daily basic health services, this and support them through the community school offers vision, development process.7 BTU helped School-Based Health Centers: Caring for the Whole Child dental and social services for shape the school board and students provided by SBHC Maryland state policy language, and Family partners. In the 2015-16 school and the union provided testimony In addition to a culturally year, more than 400 students and at local and state hearings. responsive and engaging families visited the school-based Additionally, BTU mobilized union curriculum, other key components health center. Collington Square members and the community to of community schools are Assistant Principal Nicholas Brown increase support for the policy. comprehensive services, says that having so many health The school board policy created community engagement, and resources and information in one the community schools advisory a welcoming culture to support place is powerful because “when board and the steering committee, students’ nonacademic needs. we recognize a need, we are able which guides the partnerships, The Baltimore Community School to address it immediately. If you funding, strategies, and evaluation Initiative has a strong focus on get a prescription from a doctor, of the Community Schools Initiative. strengthening student health. you can have it filled right there, The co-chairs of this advisory Ensuring that children are healthy— ensuring that you will get it.” board, representing out-of-school- both physically and mentally—is Teachers also attest to the positive time and lead agencies (i.e., the crucial to their success outcomes, effects of SBHCs. Jenna Gifford, lead coordinating partner at a skills achievement and academic a preschool teacher at Tench community school), have appointed growth. A student who comes to Tilghman Elementary/Middle School positions on the steering committee school hungry, sick or stressed will recognizes that the care expands along with Family League, city and be unable to focus on learning. beyond her classroom and into the district officials. BTU is represented 8 Students in poverty can be ready community. For example, some on the steering committee and to learn if school-based health of her students need frequent continues to encourage the centers are available to mitigate bloodwork in order to receive initiative’s priorities within its students’ health and hunger needs. medication; Tilghman’s SBHC membership and with other allies. Baltimore Medical System, one of completes the whole process on the city’s community school health school premises, so students don’t Creating Innovative partners, operates eight school- miss class. The SBHC also provides Partnerships based health centers (SBHC) in start-of-school vaccinations for Partnerships, both public and the school district. Judi Lockett, students and provides care during private, are essential in community SBHC project manager at Baltimore after-school and summer hours schools. BTU helps leverage Medical System, notes that SBHCs for students’ siblings who are resources from its relevant partners offer a way to provide breadth too young for school. By serving to assist community schools, says of services, including well-child students, siblings and parents, the Carriere. One such partner is First exams, common illness treatment, SBHC has created an even greater Book (https://www.firstbook. sports physicals, medication connection between families, org/). Through this partnership, delivery, vaccinations, health the school and the community. BTU is able to assist students education and reproductive health and families in creating home services. “This piece of education libraries, thereby extending the is huge,” emphasizes Lockett. Promising Results: Improving focus on literacy well beyond With reproductive education and Student Attendance and the school day. This partnership access to birth control options, teen Outcomes also supplies schools with “care pregnancy rates have decreased 9 SBHCs are contributing to positive closets” to support student basic 36 percent across the city. results for students in Baltimore needs and personal hygiene. The B’More for Healthy Babies community schools that have been BTU’s partnerships with food initiative, another partner in the in operation for more than five banks are another important Baltimore Community School years. Elementary and middle school collaboration, which helps ensure Initiative, is also playing a crucial student attendance has increased that students and families have role through its focus on awareness by 41 percent and 48 percent, access to healthy foods at schools. and access to health supports. respectively.10 These community BTU also provides its members with schools have also decreased chronic community school information absenteeism from 27.4 percent to

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS / PAGE 3 19.3 percent for elementary school regular school day. Most programs Challenges and Opportunities students and from 23.8 percent engage youth and provide learning, Communication between to 17 percent for middle school enrichment, and leadership Stakeholders students. This success is a result of opportunities designed to support schools identifying the underlying [students’] academic success Communication is critical to causes of absenteeism and putting and overall development.”14 OST building trust and collaboration. in place relevant supports. programs often require students One of the strengths of the to be in school that day to attend community school strategy is Health and the after-school portion, so by the involvement of a variety of Attendance making OST programs engaging stakeholders. However, this can also cause confusion, especially How are health and attendance and exciting for students, they are when communicating about the linked? Studies show that school- more motivated to attend school. variety and depth of resources based health centers can improve Many of Baltimore community that are available for school student outcomes in a variety of schools’ OST programs also provide staff, students, families and ways, such as improving academic students with hot meals; this helps communities. For example, if expectations, school engagement increase student participation teachers do not know which and school climate. Students in the program and in school. partners are providing services who receive counseling and care Elementary students who attended and supports in their schools, how from SBHCs have decreased OST programs were 32 percent can the educators share them absenteeism and tardiness rates.11 less likely to be chronically absent, with students and families? Lockett reflects that SBHCs while middle school students in Coordinated communication have reduced absenteeism by OST programs were 77 percent less and information sharing become mitigating the impact of chronic likely to be chronically absent, than especially important between disease in Baltimore, where the students who did not participate in 15 stakeholders and school-based children’s chronic disease rate is OST programs. Through nurturing health centers. For example, in 20 percent—double the national the whole child, resources and order to be seen by SBHC nurses average. Asthma is one such programs are having a real impact, and doctors, students need to have prevalent disease in the city’s and students are able to deepen their parents sign a permission schools. To combat asthma (which their relationships and connections waiver. Although SBHCs are contributes to absenteeism), to the school community. available to all students, only about SBHC nurses educate families on 48 percent of students use them. the proper way to use inhalers Union Fights to Sustain 16 Some parents, especially those and ensure that students have Promising Results new to community schools, are their inhalers on hand. With powerful results such not aware of all the benefits of At Collington Square, students as better health outcomes and the SBHCs. This communication were having persistent and improved attendance, it is clear to link needs to be consistent and threatening asthma attacks. BTU that that the community school continuous so that supports Through teacher, administrator strategy must be expanded and and services can be modified and SBHC staff collaboration, the sustained. During a fall 2017 event based on feedback as well as the school determined that unclean with the Maryland Commission needs of students and parents. classroom vents were a cause on Innovation and Excellence in of the asthma attacks, which Education, BTU, along with partners Data, Research and subsided significantly after the in the Coalition for Community Resource Dissemination vents were cleaned.12 Similarly, Schools (www.communityschools. three years after opening the SBHC org), gave a presentation on the Another challenge lies in at Tench Tilghman, the chronic effectiveness of the community collecting and communicating data. absenteeism rate there dropped school strategy for improving With limited resources, schools from 17 percent to 11 percent.13 education outcomes.17 President must identify which students to English also advocated for the place in programs that would be Out of School Time strategy and wraparound services to most beneficial to their needs. and Attendance be a part of compulsory education Khalilah Slater Harrington, who 18 is the director of youth initiatives In addition to the SBHCs, out-of- funding. While community schools for the Family League, notes school-time (OST) programs have have created positive results, that student data management played an integral role in addressing continued funding is essential identifies the students who miss the problem of absenteeism. for expanding and sustaining the most school. This data is used OST services are “formal and improved student outcomes. to inform specific action plans to structured opportunities for school- encourage student participation aged youth that complement the in OST programs and school.

PAGE 4 / AFT The Baltimore Community Schools communication have strengthened, in new ways, the future of the Initiative works with research which provides a strong foundation initiative is promising for Baltimore. partners along with lead agencies for continuous improvement. BTU will continue as an ardent to address communication and Annually, BTU hosts training for community schools advocate. As data challenges. The Baltimore union building representatives to President English affirms, “The Education Research Consortium learn about community schools work of the union is to follow (BERC) has provided data analysis and to better understand their the action of community and to and research to the Family League possible roles. Workshops are address its needs accordingly.” comparing parent engagement, incorporated into the program to For more about community school climate, and attendance educate members on community schools, visit the AFT website outcomes in community and non- schools. In 2017, BTU offered (www.aft.org/position/community- community schools to inform a community schools strategy schools) or the AFT YouTube the initiative on its progress and workshop at its Quality Educational channel on Community Schools areas for improvement. BERC Standards in Teaching conference. (https://bit.ly/2EjRpjV). found that more than 85 percent of community school parents believe that community schools Advice from the Field: The help connect them to community Necessity of Teacher Voice resources, such as food pantries; and Action that teachers care about their Community schools’ nonacademic children; and that school staff services are “critically important works with parents to meet 19 resources because they allow students’ needs. This belief is teachers to focus on teaching” due in part to the communication rather than on issues such as between lead agencies and parents. healthcare, in which they are not For example, Elev8 plays an active trained experts, says Carriere. As a role in reaching out to parents community schools liaison for BTU, with information and paperwork she stresses the necessity of teacher to allow students to use SBHCs. and school staff voices in crafting strategies and supports within the The Union as a Link community schools, to best fit the Community school special needs of the educators, students, education teacher and BTU member families and the community. Katrina Kickbush told members Along with caring for children’s of Congress that coordination is academic well-being, teachers the key to the community schools play a vital role in connecting the initiative.20 BTU staff members students to the resources, says at the schools and at the main Harrington. Teachers and school union office serve as an important staff are essential in supporting link in the communication and advocating for community and coordination chain of schools. They are indispensable community school planning and within the schools, but their implementation. BTU has been voices are also crucial in advocacy assisting in increasing dialogue efforts within the community. BTU among teachers, community members testify in front of the school board, at the Statehouse partners and site coordinators. 21 For example, BTU staff inform in Annapolis and on Capitol Hill members about available resources touting the opportunities and and partnership opportunities successes of community schools. through weekly emails and monthly By engaging the voices of the meetings with the union’s building community, supporting a deep representatives. These resources focus on academics, and providing are available to students and resources for the specific needs of families, such as the meals that students, families and schools, the Elev8 provided in schools even BCPS community school initiative when the schools were closed is strengthening the community— due to storms. As the initiative student by student. With partners has developed, partnerships and and resources continuing to align

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS / PAGE 5 Endnotes

1 PaHua Cha, Food Insecurity Among Children: A Look at Prevalence, Programming, and Initiatives in Baltimore City (Baltimore City Health Department, 2016). http://health.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/Food%20 Insecurity%20Among%20Children%20%28Cha%29%202011.pdf

2 Baltimore City Public Schools, City at a Glance (2017). http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/about/by_the_ numbers

3 Rachel E. Durham, Faith Connolly, Baltimore Community Schools: Promise & Progress (Baltimore Education Research Consortium, 2016). http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED567805.pdf

4 Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore City 2017 Neighborhood Health Profile (2017). http:// health.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/NHP%202017%20-%2000%20Baltimore%20City%20 %28overall%29%20%28rev%206-22-17%29.pdf

5 Baltimore Teachers Union, Mission Statement. http://www.baltimoreteachers.org/about/

6 Evan Serpick, It Takes a Village: Educators, Unions Rally for Continued Funding of Community Schools (City Paper, 2014). http://www.citypaper.com/news/mobtownbeat/bcp-it-takes-a-village-educators-unions-rally-for- continued-funding-of-community-schools-20141104-story.html

7 General Assembly of Maryland, House Bill 1139 (2016). http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/WEBMGA/frmMain. aspx?pid=billpage&tab=subject3&id=hb1139&stab=01&ys=2016RS

8 Baltimore City Public Schools, Community School Strategy (2016). http://familyleague.org/wp-content/ uploads/2016/10/Baltimore-City-Public-Schools-Community-Schools-Strategy.pdf

9 https://health.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/NHP%202017%20-%2010%20Clifton-Berea%20(rev%20 6-9-17).pdf

10 Rachel E. Durham, Faith Connolly, Baltimore Community Schools: Promise & Progress (Baltimore Education Research Consortium, 2016). http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED567805.pdf

11 National Assembly on School-Based Health Care, School-Based Health Centers and Academic Success (2012). http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED539627.pdf

12 Elev8, January 2017 Archive: Health (2017). http://www.elev8baltimore.org/2017/01/

13 Mapping the Early Attendance Gap: Charting a Course for Student Success (Attendance Works, Health Schools Campaign, 2015). http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Exec- Summary-4-pager_4.pdf

14 United Way, Defining Out of School Time. http://outofschooltime.unitedway.org/home/united-way-worldwide- and-jcpenney

15 Rachel E. Durham, Faith Connolly, Baltimore Community Schools: Promise & Progress (Baltimore Education Research Consortium, 2016). http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED567805.pdf

16 Rachel E. Durham, Faith Connolly, Baltimore Community Schools: Promise & Progress (Baltimore Education Research Consortium, 2016). http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED567805.pdf

PAGE 6 / AFT 17 http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/Pubs/CommTFWorkgrp/2017-Innovation-Excellence-in-Education- Commission-2017-10-12.pdf

18 http://www.baltimoreteachers.org/members/cope/

19 Rachel E. Durham, Faith Connolly, Baltimore Community Schools: Promise & Progress (Baltimore Education Research Consortium, 2016). http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED567805.pdf

20 http://www.baltimoreteachers.org/btu-teacher-brings-community-schools-message-to-congress/

21 Baltimore Teachers Union, “BTU Teacher Brings Community Schools Message to Congress” (2015). http:// www.baltimoreteachers.org/btu-teacher-brings-community-schools-message-to-congress

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS / PAGE 7 Randi Weingarten president

Lorretta Johnson secretary-treasurer

Mary Cathryn Ricker executive vice president

OUR MISSION

TheAmerican Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.

Item number: 39-0418001