Opinion
School & District Management Opinion

Community Schools: A Worthwhile Investment

By Cheryl D. Hayes & Richard R. Buery Jr. — August 20, 2013 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Much of the investment we have made in public school reform over the past decade has failed to pay dividends because it has focused almost exclusively on the classroom-instruction side of the teaching-and-learning equation.

Research has made it clear that instructional improvements can be successful only when they are combined with family and community engagement and genuine efforts to improve the school’s climate for learning—in other words, when resources are organized for student success by creating community schools. Now there is growing proof that not only does this reform strategy boost outcomes for children, but that it also provides a significant social return on investment.

The concept of a social return on investment, or SROI, offers a compelling way to measure and communicate the impact of programs that provide social, health, and education services to children and their families. An SROI case study that our organizations released in June examines results from two community schools in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City.

The Children’s Aid Society has operated both schools in partnership with New York City’s department of education for more than 20 years. Both leverage a wide range of public funding to offer a comprehensive mix of student and family supports and use private funding to fill in gaps and help families in crisis. Both have also been the subject of several third-party evaluations that have shown positive outcomes for their students.

Applying our SROI methodology showed that every dollar invested in programs and supports at the elementary school yielded a $10.30 return on investment. Dollars at this school were invested in instruction, early-childhood services, parent engagement, after-school and summer enrichment, and medical, dental, and social services.

At the intermediate school level, the return was even greater: $14.80 for every dollar invested in similar supports.

These results are corroborated by those of a 2012 economic-impact study by EMSI, a leading economic-modeling firm, which showed that every dollar invested in the network of more than 100 schools operated by the nonprofit organization Communities in Schools generated $11.60 of economic benefit for the community.

With strong evidence that community schools also produce results with significant monetary value to students, their families, and the school community, we have the economic argument for this strategy.”

At least 50 U.S. cities have created systems of community schools , serving an estimated 5.1 million students. Community schools expand learning opportunities through after-school and summer-enrichment programs, thereby increasing instructional time and students’ academic success. They also provide on-site medical, dental, mental-health, and social services, providing kids ready access to much-needed care and removing health-related barriers to learning and development.

The results are powerful. In Cincinnati, where every school is a community school, the public school graduation rate has climbed from 51 percent to more than 80 percent. And the achievement gap between African-American and white students has been nearly eliminated . In Portland, Ore., regular participants in community school services showed strong gains in academics, attendance, and behavior.

Community schools also give parents opportunities to engage in the life of the school and improve their own skills; after all, we know that engaged parents raise better-educated children. In a study of community schools in San Mateo County, Calif. , 93 percent of parents attended parent-teacher conferences, 95 percent encouraged their children to complete their homework, and 97 percent talked to their children about school.

Over the past decade, community schools in New York City and across the country have been shown to improve academic achievement, increase parent engagement, boost student and teacher attendance, and increase graduation rates. These gains are particularly critical in poor and severely disadvantaged neighborhoods, where the academic-achievement gap is more pronounced than it has been in decades.

Now, with strong evidence that community schools also produce results with significant monetary value to students, their families, and the school community, we have the economic argument for this strategy. Using the SROI methodology, we can show that community schools avoid the costs of bad outcomes, such as students’ repeating a grade and overuse of emergency rooms for routine medical care. We can also document the social and economic value of positive outcomes, such as children reading at grade level and high school graduation. For policymakers worried about the modest incremental costs of creating and sustaining community schools, these results make a persuasive financial case for investment that public officials and taxpayers can easily understand.

Our case study of the social return on investment of community schools tells a clear and compelling story: When we apply the best available knowledge about children’s learning and healthy development and bring together the best resources of schools and communities, we can achieve a solid return on investment.

Education reform clearly needs a new direction. In an era of tight budgets and growing public skepticism, community schools are an investment lead worth pursuing.

A version of this article appeared in the August 21, 2013 edition of Education Week as Community Schools: Turning Costs Into Investments

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management The Eclipse Is Great for Learning. But It's Tough on School Logistics
A total solar eclipse will cross a large swath of the country on April 8, sparking tough management choices for leaders of the districts in its path.
5 min read
A woman and stands outside with her arm on the back of a boy as they look up at the sky while wearing special paper glasses made for viewing a solar eclipse.
Jackie Johnson and her son Bradley Johnson, 9, watch a partial solar eclipse at the Frost Science Museum on Oct. 14, 2023, in downtown Miami. In 2024, some districts are planning to delay or cancel school on the day of a total eclipse, out of safety concerns.
Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP
School & District Management Opinion A Good Principal Knows When It's Time to Leave
I didn’t leave my job because of burnout; I stepped away from being a school leader because it was in everybody’s best interest.
Matthew Ebert
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of someone handing off a baton to someone else over a completed puzzle.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Principals Tell Politicians on Capitol Hill: We’re Burning Out
Students' mental health top principals' growing list of concerns.
6 min read
People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022.
Visitors walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington on June 9, 2022.
Patrick Semansky/AP
School & District Management Women Superintendents Experience Bias on the Climb to Leadership
Interpersonal slights and inequities make it hard for women to land the job and stay in it.
3 min read
Woman stands in front of a staircase in different colors. She is about to walk up the stairs. Concept of standing in front of a challenge and finding the right solution and courage to move on.
mikkelwilliam/E+