Twenty Years, Ten Lessons: Community Schools as An Equitable School Improvement Strategy

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Quinn ◽  
Martin J. Blank
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Community Schools ◽  
Community School ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Improvement Strategy ◽  
History Of

This article features two leaders of the contemporary community school movement who share their reflections on key lessons learned by community school practitioners and advocates over the past two decades and outline ideas about the challenges facing the field in the years ahead. They offer a brief history of community schools in the United States and provide an update on the evidence of the strategy's effectiveness, particularly in high-poverty urban schools. They also explain how the current "generation" of community schools has addressed two specific shortcomings of earlier iterations of this holistic approach to education. Acknowledging that today's political climate creates both opportunities and obstacles for education reformers, the authors argue that the community school strategy is increasingly recognized as a compelling alternative to the neoliberal dream of public-school privatization.

Lessons Learned about Evaluation in the United States and Some Possible Implications for Europe

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D. Cook ◽  
Werner W. Wittmann
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Political Interests ◽  
History Of ◽  
Applied Social Science

The history of program evaluation in the United States over the last 25 years is used to abstract themes that may be of importance to the development of evaluation in Europe. The themes relate to (1) the organizational context of evaluation, particularly as regards the tension between the different roles of the social scientist and the auditor; (2) the dependence of evaluation on politics, which entails that research findings be selectively used, and that evaluation questions serve some political interests more than others unless active steps are taken to make evaluations broadly accountable and their results widely disseminated; (3) the reality that most understandings of evaluation emphasize describing what programs have actually achieved, whereas some program planners want it to refer to the ex-ante task of analyzing what the results of a future program might be if it were to be implemented; (4) the mutually supportive roles that both qualitative and quantitative methods have to play in evaluation once the trap is avoided of assuming the supremacy of either one of these method types over the other; and (5) the limited value that can usually be assigned to the results of individual evaluations when compared to what careful literature reviews can accomplish. We argue that a flourishing evaluation culture requires strong methods, strong theory about the nature of evaluation and its links to use, plus continuous updates of what evaluations have discovered in different substantive areas. Today, North American evaluation is perhaps best characterized as applied social-science methods - and this may be too narrow a conception for evaluation to continue flourishing.

The Diverse Voices Conference

2017 ◽  
pp. 190-201
Author(s):  
Chaunda L. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Diversity Education ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Education Students ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
The Public ◽  
History Of ◽  
Education Courses

As diversity higher education courses and programs continue to increase on university campuses in the United States, research remains scant on the role that diversity education conferences can play in furthering higher education students' diversity learning beyond the classroom. The aim of this chapter is to introduce the Diverse Voices Conference as a successful higher education diversity initiative in Michigan that has for seventeen years provided a safe environment for students to learn more about and speak out in support of valuing all aspects of human diversity. This chapter will highlight 1) the history of the Diverse Voices Conference; 2) the components of the Diverse Voices Conference; 3) the lessons learned regarding sponsoring the Diverse Voices Conference on a university campus in Michigan that is free and open to the public; along with 4) future directions for expansing the conference and its visibility beyond its current state.

Building Capacity to Implement Community Schools

2020 ◽  
pp. 62-79
Author(s):  
Jane Quinn
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Schools ◽  
Community School ◽  
School Capacity ◽  
Building Capacity ◽  
School Initiatives ◽  
School Capacity Building

This chapter outlines the importance of capacity-building assistance in implementing the community school strategy with quality; describes and assesses the work of the nation's oldest and largest community school capacity-building organization—the Children's Aid National Center for Community Schools; and positions that work in the context of community school reform efforts nationally and internationally. The chapter provides case studies of capacity-building efforts with three community school initiatives, two in the United States and one in Europe, and also offers a listing and brief description of other engagements from 2012 to 2018.

United States’ Options for Receiving Cross-Border Climate Migrants

Climate Law ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-258
Author(s):  
Katrina M. Wyman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Immigration Law ◽  
Displaced Persons ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Safe Haven ◽  
Legislative Change ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
History Of ◽  
Domestic Law

Although the current political climate in the United States is not especially receptive to welcoming displaced persons, the country has a history of oscillating between greater and lesser openness to immigration. This article seeks to establish that there are meaningful options for the United States to provide a refuge for climate migrants under existing us immigration law, contrary to suggestions in the literature that legislative change would be necessary for the country to provide a safe haven for such migrants. The article highlights three legal options that the United States could use to assist climate migrants from other countries under existing domestic law. In addition, it identifies recent precedents in the use of these options that could be helpful in adapting them to assist climate migrants.

Prison History

Criminology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Schmalleger ◽  
Cassandra Atkin-Plunk
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Social Transformations ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
Prison Systems ◽  
Historical Accounts

Prisons in the United States and Western European nations have a rich history, with the use of confinement as a form of punishment dating back to medieval times. Throughout the centuries, scholars and penal reformers have widely documented reform efforts and the shift in punishment philosophies. This shift resulted in corporal punishment methods being abandoned and replaced with incarceration. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the confinement of criminals in prisons expanded across the United States and Europe. As the use of prisons as punishment became common practice, penal innovations throughout continental Europe influenced the development of competing prison discipline systems in the United States. The opposing systems in the United States in turn promoted a change in penal practices across Europe. The state of early prison systems has been well documented, from first-hand accounts of abysmal conditions in early European prisons to historical examinations of physical prison structures. Scholars have conducted case studies of historical penal institutions as well as examined the history of women in prison, which paints a vivid picture of prisons throughout history. Historians and scholars also place great emphasis on reform efforts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where authors cite social transformations, ideological shifts, economic changes, and political events that resulted in the widespread use of incarceration that continues in the early 21st century. The 1970s is arguably the most pivotal decade in the recent history of prisons, where the United States witnessed a sweeping change in the political climate. This change resulted in a transformation of penal and sentencing policies, which ultimately resulted in mass incarceration practices in the United States, and to a lesser extent in Europe. A substantial amount of scholarly research on trends in the correctional population emerged in the 1990s and 2000s. The consequences of the unprecedented increase in incarceration have also been examined, particularly with regard to the large-scale incarceration of minorities. Overall, the numerous historical accounts of prison development and penal practices throughout time will help researchers and students alike gain a comprehensive understanding of the history of prisons in the United States and Europe.

Locating visual arts education in a post-liberal arts landscape

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-159
Author(s):  
Jason Swift
Keyword(s):  
Visual Arts ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Arts Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Educational Assistance ◽  
Visual Arts Education ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
The Arts ◽  
History Of

This article explores the current climate and location of visual arts at post-secondary institutions in a growing post-liberal arts climate in the United States. It discusses the future of visual and liberal arts education in a socio-political climate that appears to value career-ready degrees and profit over scholarship and the cerebral, emotive and visceral importance of education and the arts. The history of conservative efforts to remake post-secondary education and government efforts to defund it are discussed, providing context for the shift to a post-liberal arts landscape. A growing divide and class separation are investigated as an outcome of the efforts made to de-liberalize colleges and universities and defund educational assistance programmes, potentially placing it in the hands of the upper class and out of the hands of the middle and lower classes.

Mental health care provided through community school models

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 297-314
Author(s):  
Oluwatoyin Olubiyi ◽  
Anne Futterer ◽  
Christina D. Kang-Yi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Community Schools ◽  
Community School ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Google Search

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively identify and synthesize the mental health care provided through diverse community schools implemented in the USA. Design/methodology/approach Using PubMed, community school model websites and Google Search, we identified 21 community school models that publicly reported outcomes and conducted full review of these models. The authors also conducted e-mail and telephone communication with ten program directors and evaluators to gain insights into successes and lessons learned through implementing community school models based on community partnership. Findings Provision of mental health care though community schools leads to reducing school suspensions, disciplinary referrals, problem presentation, and risk behaviors, and improving school grades, personal responsibility, future aspiration, and family engagement. Research limitations/implications Developing standardized outcome measure for the evaluation of mental health care provided through community school models is important to establish evidence that leads policymakers and practitioners into action. Information toolbox to guide mental health administrators and practitioners about future funding and partnership mechanisms for successful implementation and sustained mental health care through community school models can be useful. Originality/value This systematic literature review provides insights into the current practice and future direction in the provision and evaluation of mental health care through community school models and addresses concrete research and practical implications to guide mental health professionals.

scholarly journals COLONIAL PIPELINE ENOREE RIVER OIL SPILL: A CASE HISTORY1

1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-168
Author(s):  
Arthur B. Smith
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Water System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Primary Water ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACT In December 1991, a pipeline ruptured near Fountain Inn, South Carolina, resulting in the release of approximately 13,000 barrels of No. 2 fuel oil to the inland surface water system. Over 18 miles of Durbin Creek and the Enoree River were seriously impacted by the spill, one of the largest inland oil discharges in the United States in 1991. As a result of the spill, primary water supply intakes for the towns of Clinton (population 8,500) and Whitmire (population 2,000) remained closed until the appropriate level of water quality for consumption could be restored. These towns are located about 30 miles and 50 miles respectively, from the site of the pipeline rupture. The Environmental Protection Agency Region IV on-scene coordinator and the U. S. Coast Guard Strike Team responded to the scene and directed the pipeline company's cleanup efforts over a five-day period, which resulted in recovery of more than 95 percent of the spilled product. This paper presents a case history of the spill response, highlighting significant events, findings, and decisions which were instrumental in achieving a rapid and effective cleanup, and giving particular emphasis to the role of the regional response team (RRT), which was activated during this release. The response and lessons learned from this spill were evaluated, and the resulting recommendations are offered for consideration in handling future events of this magnitude.

Looking to the Future

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joy G. Dryfoos ◽  
Jane Quinn
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Schools ◽  
Community School ◽  
Failing Schools ◽  
Staten Island ◽  
Dynamic Community ◽  
Poverty Levels

It may seem strange in a chaotic political period to say that the community school movement is alive, well, and growing. Yet such chaos can give rise to collaborative concepts. Out of adversity comes action, and that action is directed toward helping children succeed in an increasingly difficult environment of higher poverty levels, less health insurance, failing schools, more mental health problems, and a widening gap between social classes and races. It is not a pretty picture, but it is a challenging one. The Children’s Aid Society (CAS) is moving forward with its commitment to community schools. Although we thought we would stop at 10 school sites in New York City, during the 2003–2004 academic year we initiated three more—two in the Bronx and one on Staten Island. Our Technical Assistance Center is in great demand, hosting more than 600 visits in 2003 and responding to more than 500 requests for technical assistance. Also in 2003 we convened representatives from more than 60 of the national and international adaptation sites for a three-day practicum—a training and networking session at which we heard testimonials to success and stories about challenges. Many of the original adaptation sites have moved from one dynamic community school to a cluster of schools within their neighborhoods or districts. And some of these original adaptation sites have matured to the point of providing guidance to other schools that want to emulate their success. There are now more than 200 adaptation sites—community schools based on the CAS model—in the United States and other countries. We are often asked, “Just how many community schools are there in this country?” We have a reasonable census of CAS sites (13) and adaptations (215), but that is only the beginning of a count. The question is difficult to answer because there are so many versions of other models and so many schools without any of these components that nevertheless call themselves “community schools.” We have tried to construct a continuum along which schools can measure themselves.

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