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Community Organizing Seen as Help to Schools
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Home > Our Products > Capacity Building in Communities > Engaging Civic and Community Partners > Organized Communities, Stronger Schools


ORGANIZED COMMUNITIES, STRONGER SCHOOLS:
A Preview of Research Findings


By Kavitha Mediratta, Seema Shah, Sara McAlister, Norm Fruchter, Christina Mokhtar, Dana Lockwood

[March 2008]


Description
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform has released a preview of findings from a six-year study that show a positive impact of effective community organizing on education reform in seven urban communities.

The study finds that effective community organizing
  • contributes to an improved learning environment and improved educational outcomes for students

  • strengthens school-community relations, parent engagement, and a sense of community and trust in schools

  • stimulates important changes in policy, practices, and resource distribution that expand equity and capacity at the system level, especially in historically underserved communities
Organizing groups in the study sites achieved their effectiveness through a combination of:
  • system-level advocacy

  • school- or community-based activity

  • strategic use of data
Organizing also produced consistent parent, youth, and community engagement that both generated and sustained the improvements.


Background
These preview findings were released on March 26, 2008, in the Presidential Session at the American Educational Research Association's annual meeting in New York City. The final report will be released in summer 2008.


Funder
The study has been generously funded by the
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.


Contact Person
Kavitha Mediratta
Principal Associate, Community Involvement Program
Kavitha_Mediratta@brown.edu envelope



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