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When Principal Natasha Moore saw the application for Community School funding from Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) during her first year as principal at REACH Academy, she jumped on the opportunity to apply. East Oakland's REACH Academy serves a student body of just under 400, and is co-located with Cox Academy, a charter school. Ninety-four percent of REACH students are considered socio-economically disadvantaged and nearly 40% are English Language Learners. Over the past four years, REACH has implemented a number of community school strategies to redress some of the barriers to success many of their students face. These strategies--integrated student supports, strategic partnerships, and collaborative leadership--are foundational to OUSD's community schools approach. They have also allowed REACH leaders to make headway in key school and district priority areas, such as increasing student and family access to health and wellness services, building partnerships to support learning outcomes, and developing inclusive goals and decision-making practices that engage students, families, partners, and staff. In addition, over the last three years REACH's ELA and Math scores increased over 20 points each, and suspensions dropped from 3.8% to 1.8%. These positive trends have occurred simultaneous to REACH's transition to becoming a full-service community school. This brief highlights key lessons from Principal Moore, and Community School Manager (CSM) Camila Barbour, as they reflect on their experiences. [For the companion brief about the Bridges Academy, see ED611760. For the companion brief about the Elmhurst United Middle School & New Highland RISE Community Elementary School, see ED611762.]

Located in East Oakland, Bridges Academy serves nearly 430 students, the majority of whom are Spanish speakers. Students who are considered socio-economically disadvantaged comprise 98% of the population and English Learners make up 83%. The school also hosts one of Oakland Unified School District's (OUSD) bilingual programs. In 2016, Bridges applied for and was awarded district support to become a full-service community school. Over the past three years, Bridges has implemented an array of strategies to remove barriers to learning and increase student success. These strategies--collaborative leadership, strategic partnerships, and integrated student supports--undergird OUSD's community schools approach, and have profoundly reshaped the school community. They have also allowed Bridges to make notable headway in key school and district priority areas: redressing student attendance, increasing access to health and wellness supports, engaging families, and building school systems. In addition to positive shifts in school culture and climate and progress on attendance, Bridges has increased its ELA and Math scores over 20 points, and its suspension rates have decreased to 0.8%. This brief highlights lessons shared by Principal Anita Comelo and her Community School Manager (CSM) Rosana Covarrubias, on the transformation of their school. [For the companion brief about the Elmhurst United Middle School & New Highland RISE Community Elementary School, see ED611762. For the companion brief about the REACH Academy, see ED611765.]

This brief draws on interviews with school principals, community school managers (CSMs), and district leaders in two community schools and focused on school improvement efforts based on Oakland Unified School District's (OUSD) full-service community schools model (FSCS). New Highland RISE Community Elementary School (RISE Community) and Elmhurst United Middle School (Elmhurst) are situated in adjoining Oakland, California neighborhoods roughly one mile apart, east of the Oakland International Airport and near Oakland's southern border with San Leandro. [For the companion brief about the Bridges Academy, see ED611760. For the companion brief about the REACH Academy, see ED611765.]

The Community School Manager (CSM) in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) integrates a school's partnership work with its academic mission. The CSM collaborates with principals to: (1) identify school goals; (2) align partners and resources to those goals; and (3) build relationships with families, students, and the community. At mature OUSD full-service community schools, the CSM operates as a school-level administrator who manages, leads, and coordinates partnerships and programs to support school and student needs. Over time, the CSM has helped formalize structures and processes designed to bolster conditions for teaching and learning in community schools. This brief offers insight into the CSM role as it occurs in Oakland schools, emphasizing the CSM's contribution to teaching and learning goals. The three briefs in this series present findings from the third and final year of the present study, focusing on system-, school-, and student-level outcomes. These findings will guide district leaders' efforts to scale-up and select appropriate implementation strategies to achieve OUSD's long-term ambition to become the nation's first full-service community school district. [The Gardner Center would like to acknowledge OUSD partners as well as the Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fund for Community Benefit Programs at East Bay Community Foundation for their support. For "The District Approach to Building a Full-Service Community School System: Assuring Universal and Equitable Access to Learning for College, Career, and Community Readiness," see ED604092; for "Oakland Unified School District Full-Service Community Schools Outcomes: A Retrospective. Shifting School Culture & Relationships with Families and the Broader Community," see ED604095.]

In 2012, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) leaders, staff, families, students, and community partners launched an ambitious effort to transform the district into a community school district. What started as a pilot in mostly secondary schools has expanded to become a far-reaching district strategy across all school levels. Currently, 42 OUSD schools have Community School Managers and most schools have some elements of community schools programming. As OUSD enters a new phase of planning and strategy, this brief provides an opportunity to reflect back on progress made and prospects for development moving forward. The three briefs in this series present findings from the third and final year of the present study, focusing on system-, school-, and student-level outcomes. These findings will guide district leaders' efforts to scale-up and select appropriate implementation strategies to achieve OUSD's long-term ambition to become the nation's first full-service community school district. [The Gardner Center would like to acknowledge OUSD partners as well as the Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fund for Community Benefit Programs at East Bay Community Foundation for their support. For "The Role of the Community School Manager: Facilitating Partnerships and Programs to Support Teaching and Learning," see ED604094; for "The District Approach to Building a Full-Service Community School System: Assuring Universal and Equitable Access to Learning for College, Career, and Community Readiness," see ED604092.]

The Oakland Unified Schools District's (OUSD) strategic plan commits to ensuring that "every student is able to attend a quality school in their neighborhood (OUSD, 2015)." To operationalize this goal, a growing number of OUSD schools are supported to implement community school strategies. This brief describes organizational outcomes, with specific attention to the district's efforts to strengthen school capacity by reconceiving how adults use time, organize work, and collaborate to meet student needs. The three briefs in this series present findings from the third and final year of the present study, focusing on system-, school-, and student-level outcomes. These findings will guide district leaders' efforts to scale-up and select appropriate implementation strategies to achieve OUSD's long-term ambition to become the nation's first full-service community school district. [The Gardner Center would like to acknowledge OUSD partners as well as the Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fund for Community Benefit Programs at East Bay Community Foundation for their support. For "The Role of the Community School Manager: Facilitating Partnerships and Programs to Support Teaching and Learning," see ED604094; for "Oakland Unified School District Full-Service Community Schools Outcomes: A Retrospective. Shifting School Culture & Relationships with Families and the Broader Community," see ED604095.]

Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) faces increasing teacher attrition and unsustainable levels of stress among teachers. Citywide pressures, such gentrification and lack of transportation, impact schools and teachers. OUSD currently has wellness programs both district provided (the Office of Health and Wellness) and through district partnerships (the Teaching Well and the African American Male Achievement). The initiatives have largely been ad hoc or driven by inspired individuals rather than system level change. Principal leadership is necessary to support teachers and ultimately student achievement. In order for principals to assist teachers and make real, lasting policy changes, district level support is necessary. OUSD should help principals tie wellness to the larger mission and vision of schools. Principals should believe that staff sustainability is a essential part of serving students and increasing student achievement. This report is based on a literature review and interviews. The literature review utilized journal databases and library catalogues. When searching for articles the report used articles that were relevant to the topic and based in the United States. Both qualitative and quantitative studies were included. All information was ethically considered for accuracy and confidentiality. The interviews referenced in this report were semi-structured and conducted between January 2018-April 2018. Interviews were conducted with eight principals, three teachers, various UC Berkeley research partners, and two OUSD non-profit partners. Interviews were conducted over the phone and in person. [The report was also written in partnership with the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California Berkeley.]

This brief is part of a series that shares findings from a research collaboration between the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University and Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) focused on understanding implementation of the community school model in the district. This brief highlights findings related to essential structures and systems to support OUSD community schools, specifically examining the areas of "collaborative leadership, strategic partnerships, and coordination." While community schools frameworks vary across the country, scholars and practitioners agree that certain key structures and practices are necessary to successfully achieving desired school and student outcomes. Research also suggests that the ability of student services and supports--a key strategy of community schools--to effect student outcomes often depends on the quality of their integration as fundamental components of the life and academic mission of the school. The organizational features discussed in this brief are designed to facilitate deeper integration of community school services and supports, ultimately supporting improved student outcomes. This brief aims to illuminate how these elements function in practice to support effective community school implementation in Oakland. [The Gardner Center would like to acknowledge our OUSD partners as well as the Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fund for Community Benefit Programs at East Bay Community Foundation for their support. For the main report, "Oakland Unified School District Community Schools: Understanding Implementation Efforts to Support Students, Teachers, and Families," see ED573279. For the accompanying Knowledge Briefs, "Teaching and Learning in Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief,"see ED573277; for "Organizational Structures to Support Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief," see ED573281; for "Oakland Unified School District Community Schools: Supporting Students, Teachers, and Families. Knowledge Brief," see ED573276; and for "Integrated Services and Supports in Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief," see ED573283.]

In 2010, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) launched an initiative to transform all district schools into full service community schools. The community school design provides integrated supports to students and fosters a school climate conducive to academic, social, and emotional learning. Interventions span in-school and out-of-school time, and include students' families, to ensure that all students have the supports needed to be ready to learn and to develop the skills, habits, and mindsets that provide a foundation for academic and social success. These supports are delivered in strategic partnerships with community-based organizations, and coordinated through various structures including a Community School Manager at each school. As OUSD continues to scale community school implementation, leaders want to document and assess their current efforts with an eye to improving policies and practices that will help all schools reach the initiative's goals. This report and four related briefs present findings from the first year of a planned three-year collaboration between OUSD and the Gardner Center to study the district's community schools, drawing on qualitative interviews with key stakeholders in five community schools as well as analysis of district administrative data. The following tables are appended: (1) OUSD Study Schools: School Profile, 2013-14; and (2) School Health Center and Expanded Learning Participation Rates. [The authors would like to acknowledge the Oakland Unified School District and the Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fund for Community Benefit Programs at East Bay Community Foundation in supporting this work. They also acknowledge the contribution of Gardner Center colleagues Jorge Ruiz de Velasco, Jamila Henderson, Nikki Riley, Maureen Carew, Efrain Brito, Nancy Mancini, Leslie Patron, and Amy Gerstein in the writing and conducting of this study. For the accompanying Knowledge Briefs, "Oakland Unified School District Community Schools: Supporting Students, Teachers, and Families. Knowledge Brief," see ED573276; "Teaching and Learning in Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief," see ED573277; "Organizational Structures to Support Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief," see ED573281; and "Integrated Services and Supports in Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief," ED573283.]

This brief is part of a series that shares findings from a research collaboration between the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University and Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) focused on understanding implementation of the community school model in the district. This brief highlights findings related to integrated service delivery in OUSD community schools, specifically examining services related to health and wellness, expanded learning, and family engagement. Previous research has demonstrated that student and family participation in such support services is often associated with improved student outcomes. While student services take many forms, research shows that integration is key to successful implementation. Integration entails both combining and coordinating a range of student supports to facilitate seamless service provision, as well as incorporating these supports as fundamental components of the life and academic mission of a school. [The Gardner Center would like to acknowledge our OUSD partners as well as the Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fund for Community Benefit Programs at East Bay Community Foundation for their support. For the main report, "Oakland Unified School District Community Schools: Understanding Implementation Efforts to Support Students, Teachers, and Families," see ED573279. For the accompanying Knowledge Briefs, "Oakland Unified School District Community Schools: Supporting Students, Teachers, and Families. Knowledge Brief," see ED573276; for "Teaching and Learning in Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief," see ED573277; and for "Organizational Structures to Support Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief," see ED573281.]

This brief is part of a series that shares findings from a research collaboration between the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University and Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) focused on understanding implementation of the community school model in the district. Community schools aim to address students' needs, and promote a positive school climate in which students are ready to learn and teachers are supported to provide quality instruction which, in turn, improves student attendance, behavior, and achievement. Previous research has demonstrated that student and family participation in support services--a key feature of community schools--is often associated with improved student outcomes. Additionally, the structures and systems of community schools--for example, leadership, partnerships, and coordination--may enhance the integration of these services as fundamental components of the life and academic mission of the school, ultimately bolstering their ability to affect student outcomes. This brief focuses on site staffs' perceptions and experiences of how the community school model supports student, teacher, and school outcomes. In addition, we incorporate analysis of school-level outcomes using OUSD administrative data for these schools and the district as a whole to identify shifts in leading indicators of student academic engagement and performance, as well as school climate. [The Gardner Center would like to acknowledge our OUSD partners as well as the Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fund for Community Benefit Programs at East Bay Community Foundation for their support. For the main report, "Oakland Unified School District Community Schools: Understanding Implementation Efforts to Support Students, Teachers, and Families," see ED573279. For the accompanying Knowledge Briefs, "Oakland Unified School District Community Schools: Supporting Students, Teachers, and Families. Knowledge Brief," see ED573276; for "Organizational Structures to Support Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief," see ED573281; and for "Integrated Services and Supports in Oakland Community Schools. Knowledge Brief," see ED573283.]