About the Center

Celebrating the Versatility of Community School Models

Community schools are vital in transforming education by addressing student success through collaborative partnerships involving parents, educators, and the community. Each community school model carries the same intention — to uplift every student's learning experience — yet they differ in the strategies and frameworks used to achieve these goals.

Exploring the Spectrum of Community School Models

The landscape of community schools is rich and varied, with each model presenting unique methods of integrating community resources:

University-Assisted Approach: This model harnesses the power of higher education’s resources to enhance educational experiences. The Unlimited Potential Initiative is an example of this approach, creating a bridge between universities and Pre-K-12 education to provide expanded learning and integrated student supports. The Netter Center is also an example of this, mobilizing the vast resources of the University of Pennsylvania to support traditional public schools.
Multi-Partner Approach: This model is a collaboration between education, health and community services to offer a comprehensive support network that goes beyond academic learning. The Community Partnership Schools model is an example of this approach.

In addition to the approaches above, other Community School models include:

School as Lead Agency Approach: In this model, schools themselves drive the collaborative process, appointing coordinators to manage partnerships and activities. An example of this approach includes the Evansville, Indiana system which formed a council to direct community and school district collaborations, highlighting the school's central role in community engagement.
Community-Managed Approach: Led by local communities, parents, or Non-Governmental Organizations, these schools are often foundational in locales where they originate or manage established schools. Save the Children is a key player, fostering educational support structures at home and in schools worldwide, particularly in regions affected by crises.
Community-Based Lead Agency Approach: Here, a community agency partners with a school, guiding operations and resource mobilization to address the school's needs. Children’s Aid in New York City, utilizing this model since 1992, employs a site coordinator to spearhead the provision of integrated school-based services and programs.

The Solid Foundation: Pillars of Community School Success

All these diverse models are grounded in the essential pillars vital for their success: Collaborative Leadership, Expanded Learning, Integrated Student Supports, and Family and Community Engagement, ensuring they are well-equipped to support student learning and community strength.

Uniting for Collective Impact

Community schools are a collaborative effort. They draw strength from the unique characteristics and needs of their communities, tailoring approaches to best support the regions they serve. By embracing the variety among these models, communities can draw upon best practices and strategies that resonate most with their goals, fostering environments where students, families and neighborhoods thrive.

As community schools advance and expand, they reveal the remarkable outcomes that can be realized when education reaches beyond traditional classroom settings and deeply engages with the community.

Empowering Community Schools

The UCF Center for Community Schools operates as a practice-based organization dedicated to providing comprehensive support for community schools. This includes delivering technical assistance, facilitating university-assisted partnerships, offering training and development, and conducting assessments and evaluations.

In 2010, UCF co-founded the Community Partnership School™ model with Children’s Home Society of Florida and Orange County Public Schools at Evans High in Orlando. Since then, the center has been at the forefront of community school development in the state. In 2014, the UCF Center for Community Schools opened to further support the Community Partnership Schools model throughout Florida and enhance the broader practice of community schooling. The center has also implemented a rigorous, strength-based certification process to ensure best practices, with the number of UCF-Certified Community Partnership Schools increasing each year, and many others seeking certification.

Expanding upon its foundational model, the center also supports the Unlimited Potential Initiative community school model. This innovative approach further diversifies the types of community school models supported by the center, aiming to align with evolving educational and community needs while retaining a commitment to high-quality, evidence-based practices.

Mission, Vision, Values and Goals

MISSION

The mission of the UCF Center for Community Schools is to serve as a comprehensive resource for best practices in the advancement of community schools. We provide technical assistance, assessment and evaluation, and university assistance, with the aim of driving continuous improvement and better outcomes for students, families and communities.

VISION

We envision a world of equitable school communities that support the whole child.

VALUES

Collaborative
Together, we're stronger. Our mission thrives on unity—merging talents and resources for greater impact. With open communication and mutual respect at our core, we create change that surpasses what we could achieve alone.

High Quality
Excellence drives us. We're committed to delivering exceptional results that exceed expectations, fostering trust and setting new standards in everything we do. Our journey is marked by continuous improvement and the pursuit of thriving communities.

Integrity
Honesty is our foundation. Guided by ethics and transparency, our actions reflect our values. Through challenges and triumphs, our commitment to integrity builds trust and enriches our community connections.

Diverse & Inclusive
Every voice matters. We champion environments where everyone belongs and can be their true selves, fueling innovation and collaboration. Our diversity is our strength, creating a richer, more vibrant community.

Supportive
We lift each other up. In our community, support and empathy are at the forefront, empowering everyone to thrive. Our culture of encouragement ensures no one is alone on their journey.

GOALS

Goal 1: Meet the statewide technical assistance, assessment and evaluation needs of Community Partnership Schools and Unlimited Potential Initiative sites.

Goal 2: Develop and sustain high quality community schools informed by the field and research-based best practices.

Goal 3: Collect, analyze and report community school outcomes to support data-driven decisions at every level.

Goal 4: Expand the reach of the center by developing and building capacity for the delivery of high-quality community schools statewide, nationally and internationally.

Goal 5: The vision of the UCF Center is to diversify funding that supports technical assistance, assessment and evaluation, capacity building, university partnership, and certification efforts.