What can we learn from the belonging, shared purpose, and stewardship that families, schools, and communities foster in partnership?
The National Education Association defines community schools as “public schools that provide services and support that fit each neighborhood’s needs, created and run by the people who know our children best—all working together.”
While not every school model fits all families, we can learn from each other to contribute to solutions that matter. Whether your child is in public, private, hybrid or homeschool, it’s easy to get pigeonholed into one method and forget that every educational method has something valuable to offer.
Much like the history of cultural cuisines that offer a unique perspective or recipe to the rich food landscape, schools in every format thrive when they partner with their community to make them places of belonging, safety and educational excellence. The reason community schools are growing is that when they work properly, the students as a group benefit.
Students typically receive a quality education with support built in for mental health, learning equity, and championing parent involvement. According to an edweek.org article, “research from around the world has shown that parents’ involvement in and engagement with their child’s education—including through parent-teacher conferences, parent-teacher organizations, school events, and at-home discussions about school—can lead to higher student achievement and better social-emotional outcomes.”
4 Takeaways from Community Schools
While community schools have merit, not every community has access to a community school, and this model may not work for your family. For all their “wins,” some of the things community schools may not be able to offer are individualization of a child’s education, a shared faith component, or time and margin for family connections and mental health benefits. A community school may not be the answer if you want a small school environment, more ownership of how and when your child learns, and a more individualized approach to learning.
However, there are four benefits that all educational methods can take away from why community schools are gaining ground.
1. They offer support for mental health.
Many community schools provide additional resources, either through community partnerships or with city and state funding, to offer counseling, peer groups, and solutions to unique needs that can be individualized to the student body.
How can other schools take notice? By paying attention to mental health, staying active in the latest trends among mental health needs for kids and teens, and providing support. A unique school model (like Learnwell’s hybrid and Navigator programs) where students spend fewer hours in class is one way to safeguard students’ mental health.
Other ways schools can support a student’s mental health include taking activity breaks, fostering community and friendship by partnering with families and parents, and talking about the importance of caring for one’s mental health, especially among teens.
2. They provide a deep sense of belonging.
Because of the community’s involvement in the school, community schools give children and teens a more intimate connection and sense of belonging within the community at large.
Large cities may have a tougher time developing this sense of belonging, but it can be done. One way belonging is fostered is through the family. When families understand how their community connections can play an integral role in the services that a school can offer, they are quick to jump at the chance to serve the school by introducing those connections.
At Learnwell, parents have helped high school students broaden their networks by recommending career professionals in various industries for the school’s job shadowing and internship programs. Parents also regularly volunteer behind the scenes to help the teachers with operational tasks, get involved in event planning, and serve as coordinators of planning committees, the school garden, and special projects.
Because teachers are so giving and generous with their time, they often plan activities outside the scope of their school day. In most cases, a parent volunteer can take over the planning and coordinate those activities. One example is setting up a reading reward program where students get to have a pizza party or celebrate with a classwide ice cream day if they meet individualized reading goals. Other examples are when parents serve in the school garden, organize fundraisers, or share a passion for learning by speaking or reading to one of the classes.
Learnwell’s model is very partnership-dependent, where its success hinges on the partnership between parents, teachers, administrators, and, as students get older, their collaboration plays a big part in that success. Essentially, a parent’s involvement in the individual student’s education is like a seed that needs water, time and nutrients to grow. Taking that idea a step further, a parent’s participation in the class or the school is like tending a garden.
A garden needs the basics, but it also needs regular maintenance, pruning and crop rotation. When parents take ownership of their power to serve, the school thrives. When communities take ownership of their power to partner with educators and parents to serve the students’ needs, the school and its students exceed what they thought was possible.
Deep belonging only comes with deep work, collaboration, and a willingness to learn together. Many parents and students tell us that Learnwell’s sense of community is what they love most about the school. Intentional partnership over time and a willingness to try new things and learn from them will continue to birth deep roots in community and belonging.
3. The shared purpose between parents, educators and the community is clear.
One reason we require families who are thinking of enrolling to attend a Discover Learnwell is to showcase the school’s purpose and vision. We hear from parents who serve during Discover Learnwell nights that they’re reinvigorated by hearing about and being caught up in the school’s mission anew.
It’s refreshing to remember the school’s four core values: intentional margin, deep faith, excellent education, and authentic community. But hearing stories about how these core values impact students daily also quenches the heart.
A family shared with us that the room mom for their child’s class reached out over the summer. It was this student’s first time in a group education setting, so he was nervous. But the families got together, found that their kids enjoyed similar hobbies, and formed a friendship that not only put the new student at ease on the first day of school but also grew into a family-wide friendship that continues, in part, because of the shared purpose that Learnwell families have.
In a nutshell, Learnwell families generally want the same things: a safe place that offers thoughtful, intentional educational options, understanding that not every option will work for all families. Families want a place where their students can learn both communally and independently, and they want students to understand that learning is a lifelong process to be enjoyed, even when it means some challenges along the way.
Another shared purpose many Learnwell families cling to is the desire to be part of a school that champions faith uniquely. While all of Learnwell’s staff and teachers are Christians, they don’t all subscribe to the same beliefs within the faith. In addition, families understand that the details of faith are primarily taught at home, but many of the “big picture” faith concepts are reinforced at school through classroom discussion, activities that teach about faith that inspires action, and the main undercurrent where students know they are seen, known, and loved.
Families are never asked to sign a covenant of belief or share that they themselves are Christians; instead, they recognize that Learnwell is a Christian school and they’re comfortable with their children hearing that they are created and loved by God, rescued from sin by salvation through faith, and have a unique purpose to offer the world — not someday, but now.
4. Stewardship is a high priority that influences the school’s culture.
While community schools often shepherd the responsibility of stewardship differently because of how they’re funded, the takeaway for all educational models is that what matters to a school and its community should be evident by the culture and the school atmosphere.
Learnwell’s culture is steeped in the following:
- A love of learning
- A commitment to seeing failure as a step toward learning
- Encouraging student ownership of their education, particularly as they move into middle school and high school
- A vision of service that includes family life, peers, school community and the communities in which we live
- A desire for families to be deeply connected and have more time together
- Recognizing the cultural landscape and being willing to do things differently for the sake of students’ mental health
- A pursuit of excellence, not because of a grade but because of God’s calling
- A hunger to know God’s unique gifting for each child and allow him or her to thrive in it
As parents, students, teachers, staff and community members recognize their part in a larger commitment to protect and build up the next generation, stewardship becomes more of a way of life than a box to check on a form. It inspires decisions that touch all spheres: education, environmental, discipleship, community and rest.
We love that a method of schooling helps inspire other types of schools to grow in their unique gifting continually. If you’d like to learn more about the educational options at Learnwell, sign up for a tour or attend one of our parent preview nights, called Discover Learnwell. If you are interested in homeschooling but need a version that you haven’t found in the homeschool world yet, check out our Learnwell Navigator program. Parents’ partnership with teachers in the Navigator program is unlike many other homeschool options. Finally, if you’re struggling with the decision to homeschool or not, watch our series, “How to Homeschool: Is Homeschooling Right for You?”