September 14-18 is national Community School Coordinator Appreciation Week, and while we at the Flint Center call them Community School Directors – the role, and the impact, is the same.
We want to recognize and honor our 14 CSDs this week, and every week, for the work they do in the community and in our schools to ensure that every door is open, every family feels welcome, and every child is surrounded by the support they need to thrive—not just from 8 to 3, but after school and summers too.
Flint is the birthplace of the community school concept. As a community, we pioneered this place-based strategy that brings together educators, families, and community partners to provide on-site, wraparound services tailored to student and family needs.
What started as a way to keep school open after hours, creating community hubs that provided afterschool activities, adult continuing education and community meeting spaces, has grown to include health and mental health services, after school tutoring and enrichment programs, family workshops and community events. Community schools weave support for the whole family directly into the life of the school.
At the heart of this work is the Community School Director. This full-time, on-site leader works side by side with the principal and school staff to coordinate family and student support services and health services, lead staff members that provide in-school mentoring and high-quality afterschool programming, builds authentic family and community engagement and uses student-centered data to guide continuous improvement.
The CSD serves as a true community organizer—strengthening the bridge between school and community.
The impact community schools and community school directors make on our educational ecosystem is powerful. A 2017 meta-analysis by the Learning Policy Institute, drawing on 143 research and evaluation studies, shows that community schools make a considerable positive difference in student and school outcomes, including:
- Higher academic achievement
- Greater opportunity and improved outcomes for students of color, English learners, and students from low-income families
- Better attendance, behavior, and overall well-being
- Increased high school graduation rates
Behind these numbers are countless stories:
- A student who has trouble fitting in during day school finds their place in the after school program and thrives – and now wants to go to school every day.
- A family who finds a welcoming environment for their special needs child and feels included through family engagement activities.
- An after-school mentoring program that becomes so popular that the school principal finds outside funding to expand it.
- A neighborhood group that gets involved in planning a new playground that gives access to the neighborhood.
Our Flint Center CSDs are central to making this happen. By cultivating collaborative leadership among staff, families, and community partners, they create the infrastructure that allows every other aspect of a community school to flourish. Their work honors the strengths of each community and ensures that solutions grow from genuine relationships, listening, and shared responsibility.
This is why we celebrate our CSDs this week – and every week – because the work they do every day ensures that Flint kids, families and the community at large can thrive.
