ACT Now Releases New Report on the Community Schools Model in Illinois
How Community Schools are Meeting the Needs of Youth during the Pandemic and Combatting Racial Injustice
Emma Spencer
On October 6, 2020, The Afterschool for Children and Teens Now Coalition (ACT Now), revealed its new report on community schools throughout Illinois, and hosted a virtual event with diverse speakers, including State Representative Theresa Mah [D-2nd], to celebrate this release. The report details how community schools in the State are making a difference in their communities, their role in responding to the pandemic, and how they are excellent tools to address issues of racial inequity.
Community schools are a specific model of education and community organizing, different from just a neighborhood school. Community schools are public schools that partner with families and community-based organizations to provide well-rounded educational opportunities and supports for students' school success, often serving low-income districts. In addition to high quality education, these schools also offer medical, dental, and mental health services, tutoring opportunities, parent education classes, job training for families, housing assistance, and nutrition programs, along with many others.
These institutions can be found throughout the City of Chicago and in the surrounding suburbs such as North Chicago, West Chicago, Skokie, Evanston, Bensenville, Bolingbrook, and Palatine. There is also a network of community schools Downstate in Champaign, Bloomington, Peoria, and Springfield.
ACT Now Network Lead, Susan Stanton, stated that in regard to community schools' response to the COVID-19 "community schools were the model of education that was best suited to deal with this pandemic and also emergencies of all kind."
Stanton added that community schools "are really in tune with the needs of their community's, and have strong partnerships in place to connect people with diverse resources, which is the backbone of what they do every day."
State Representative Mah also spoke to the integral work community schools are doing to support youth and families in her district, which has an "overwhelmingly immigrant population." Mah remarked "when talking about better public safety, and dealing with communities that have experienced high levels of trauma and violence, we need schools that provide opportunities for more than the several hours ... We need resources that address all of these inequities." Mah reiterated that community schools are these schools.
Finally, Community schools' providers themselves had an opportunity to share how their institutions are providing integral services to community members, as well as responding to the public health crisis and racial injustice.
Josephina Frankovich, Coordinator of Partnerships for West Chicago Elementary School District 33, emphasized that community schools in West Chicago not only work to support youth, but also families that are English Language Learners by providing English Second Language classes. Frankovich added that community schools in District 33 are "making sure to support the lifelong learner mentality for not only youth, but parents and families." The community schools in West Chicago have also raised over $43,000 in direct financial assistance for families during the pandemic.
ABOUT ACT Now
ACT Now is a statewide organization that provides professional development and advocacy support to afterschool programs and community schools. ACT Now is part of nationwide network of statewide afterschool networks with a counterpart in all 50 states. ACT Now is the leading voice for the community schools movement in Illinois. To learn more about ACT Now, click here.