News from the field: Click to read the Winter 2026 Community Schools Initiative Newsletter!
Director's Message:
As we enter the second semester, we want to pause and shine a light on what teaching and learning look like inside our Community Schools’ classrooms.
Across our schools, students are engaging in meaningful projects connected to community issues, local history, cultural assets, and real-world problem solving. These experiences help students see themselves as thinkers, contributors, and leaders, not just in school, but within their communities.
We want to recognize our Meaningful Teaching & Learning (MTL) pilot schools, 24th Street Elementary, 93rd Street Elementary, Roybal-Allard Elementary, Walnut Park Elementary, and Marlton Span School. At these sites, school teams are working collaboratively to design cohesive, community-based learning experiences across grade levels and content areas. This work reflects strong collaboration, a shared vision, and a commitment to making learning relevant, engaging, and connected to students’ authentic experiences.
For students, this means learning that connects to their interests, identities, and lived experiences. Projects that challenge them to solve real problems, explore meaningful questions, and apply their learning beyond the classroom walls.
For families, it means seeing their knowledge, culture, and community valued as an essential part of their child’s education.
For teachers, it means deeper engagement, stronger relationships, and instruction that feels purposeful and connected.
At the heart of Community Schools is the belief that strong community connections strengthen learning. When students engage with meaningful events, collaborate with community partners, and take on real-world challenges, learning becomes more powerful and lasting. Community-Based Learning is not an add on, it is a lens that brings together curriculum, instruction, student voice, relationships, and community into a coherent learning experience.
As we continue through the second half of the year, we remain committed to creating classrooms filled with relevance, purpose, and possibility—rooted in community and driven by student potential.