Coalition for Community Schools / September 2011 Scaling Up School and Community Partnerships: The Community Schools Strategy builds on both practice and research to describe the what, why, and how of system-wide expansion of community schools. The guide is written for a wide audience and for communities at different points in planning for, implementing, and sustaining a community schools strategy.
Part Four: Case Studies of Scaling Up Community School Initiatives
CINCINNATI, OHIO:
One Brick at a Time—How a Facilities Master Plan Enhanced Collaborative Decision Making.
Cincinnati’s Community Learning Center Initiative (CLC)—a core feature of the Cincinnati Public Schools’ (CPS) 10-year, $1 billion Master Facilities Plan—is built on a shared philosophy among school and community partners: schools are a hub of the community, and their purpose is to revitalize learning and transform the community. According to Darlene Kamine, formerly a consultant to CPS and now head of the Community Learning Centers Institute, “Commitment to that philosophy has been laid one brick at a time” through ongoing community engagement and an infrastructure grounded in collaborative decision making.