Vision and Mission

We envision a world in which all children learn and succeed.

By providing practical, innovative training, consultation, facilitation, materials and advocacy, The National Center for Community Schools helps develop comprehensive community schools and enhance existing school-community partnerships that promote academic achievement, youth development, and family and community well-being. The Center provides technical support to individuals and organizations who wish to learn about, adapt or build on the Children’s Aid Society community school model.

Values that Guide our Work

• Excellent public education is the foundation of a democratic society.
• Community schools aim to combine the best educational practices of a quality school with a wide range of vital in-house services.
• Community schools maintain a central focus on children, while recognizing that children grow up in families, and that families are integral parts of communities.
• Community schools are based on a solid body of current research from multiple professional disciplines.
• Transforming public schools into community schools is a process of adaptation and development, not replication.
• Technical assistance develops the capacity of local and systemic leaders to implement community schools.
• The community schools approach recognizes the multiple aspects of children’s development (cognitive, social, psychological, physical, moral and vocational).
• Community schools build a sense of the community’s ownership of the school.
• Sustainability of community schools depends on better use of existing resources as well as the generation of new ones.