sa国际传媒官网网页入口

sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Public Schools played host on Tuesday to a delegation of education officials from Alaska and Hawaii who engaged in 鈥渓earning labs鈥� to learn more about community schools, an emerging innovative concept in K-12 education.

The group of close to 70 officials descended on Wilson Middle School, where they toured a garden and student-based health clinic before hearing a presentation from school officials and engaging in a question-and-answer session.

Lori Grassgreen, director of conditions for learning with the Association of Alaska School Boards, joked in an interview that she was 鈥渃ertainly glad to defrost鈥� during her trip to the Southwest. But on a serious note, the multi-day tour of APS schools was an opportunity to see how community schools operate.

鈥淵ou hear things described and that鈥檚 interesting, but we take in so much more when we can observe things first-hand,鈥� Grassgreen said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 informal information that you take in that really gives you a sense of the meaning of that work, and so I have a lot of gratitude for being able to come here.鈥�

Jay Vega, community schools manager for the Partners in Development Foundation in Hawaii, said it felt 鈥渁mazingly powerful鈥� to be with such a large group of educators focused on community schools.

鈥淎nd then, to be able to see the impact that they鈥檙e having here ... that is priceless,鈥� Vega said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 put a value on that level of hope and encouragement.鈥�

What is a community school?

A community school is overseen by a council comprised of educators and members of the community, from students to parents, to members of nonprofit organizations or neighborhood groups. They work together to find solutions to common challenges within the school, from chronic absenteeism to safety.

The sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Teachers Federation adopted a Community School Resolution following the Legislature approving a community schools statute in 2013, according to the APS website. In 2019, state lawmakers added funding for community schools through the New Mexico Public Education Department, the website said.

There are currently 61 community schools in APS, according to Deanna Creighton, managing director of The sa国际传媒官网网页入口-Bernalillo County Community School Partnership, a group that helped bring the delegation to New Mexico. She noted that while all schools share common elements, community schools have a council and a person in charge of coordination to achieve the body鈥檚 objectives.

鈥淎 teacher doesn鈥檛 have time; a principal doesn鈥檛 have time,鈥� Creighton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important we build an infrastructure at a school to support the implementation of the strategy.鈥�

The 鈥榳alking bus鈥�

Kelly Davis, a community schools coordinator with APS, co-chairs the community school council at Wilson Middle School. The council analyzes data and uses it to develop plans to address school issues, she said.

One of the reasons APS brought the delegation to Wilson on Tuesday, Davis said, was to highlight the school鈥檚 success in implementing a safe routes to school, or the 鈥渨alking bus,鈥� program.

In creating the program, Davis said the council recognized feedback that students did not feel safe walking to school for a range of reasons, whether it was racial profiling or needles found on the street in sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 International District.

In order to help students get to school safely, Wilson school officials walk them to school to make up for a 1-mile radius that does not have bus routes. The 鈥渨alking bus鈥� program averages 17 students per walk and over nine weeks has totaled 154 safe walks, according to Davis.

鈥淭he way that we got there was the council and the synergy of South San Pedro Neighborhood Association,鈥� which attends council meetings, Davis said.

鈥楢ttitude of hope鈥�

Grassgreen said her organization is working with six schools in Southeast Alaska to build community schools.

鈥淲e鈥檙e only a year and a half in, so we鈥檙e learning from more experienced community schools here in New Mexico,鈥� she said.

Vega said there is a 鈥渟tatewide push鈥� in Hawaii for more community schools.

鈥淲e鈥檙e here to see what it could look like in a few years,鈥� he said.

Since it was Tuesday, the delegation did not get to participate in the 鈥渨alking bus鈥� program at Wilson, but they did get to see other examples of the community school鈥檚 efforts, such as the fully serviceable health clinic. Grassgreen described it as the 鈥済old standard鈥� of care.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have anything like that in Alaska,鈥� she said.

Vega said the multi-day tour of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 schools motivated him and other members of the delegation to see that building community schools is possible.

鈥淯ltimately, what we want to take back (home) is an attitude of hope, of growth, of possibility鈥� he said, 鈥渢hat we can take action, that we can move as a community and change the places we live for the better.鈥�

Davis had a chance to observe how members of the delegation reacted to their tour of Wilson.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e probably so tired from the time changes,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut that torch of loving their community, that showed 鈥� it really did.鈥�