A "whole child" school improvement strategy through community engagement.
Community Schools Initiative
MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to support students, educators, empower families, facilitate connections and ensuring access to resources as we assist schools in proactively and effectively engaging their communities.
PURPOSE STATEMENT: By cultivating relationships, celebrating assets, and removing barriers, we will transform schools and education in the Central Valley based on the voices of our communities.
VISION STATEMENT: Our schools will be hubs of their communities, meeting the needs of residents and encouraging healthy, thriving children with choices for their futures.
Peer Learning Events and Activities
All grantees and community partners are encouraged to attend any of the CV R-TAC events. For your convenience, events are organized by region.
View the CalendarImplementation Tools
Discover practical tools to support every stage of Community School implementation and take meaningful steps toward lasting impact today.
Learn More About Community Schools
Community schools are dedicated to ensuring that every student, regardless of their background or location, has access to the necessary resources, opportunities, and supports to foster academic achievement, forging strong connections among families, peers, schools, and communities throughout their educational journey. Like every good school, community schools are built upon a solid foundation of effective teaching and modern curriculum that emphasizes challenging academic content along with the mastery of 21st-century skills. These schools offer an evidence-based approach to enhance educational equity and equip students for success beyond school.
Integrated Student Supports
Extended Learning Time and Opportunities
Collaborative Leadership Practices for Educators and Administrators
Family and Community Engagement
Learn about the Transformational Community Schools Strategies
CV-RTAC CoP Community School Tour
Step inside two Central Valley schools where classrooms break their walls and learning spills into the neighborhood. This site-tour video follows educators, students, and partners as they demonstrate community-based learning, one of the core capacity-building strategies in the Community Schools framework. Hear the stories of aspiring entrepreneurs build confidence, science students real research to UC Merced and state air-quality boards, and local professionals map clear career pathways for youth.
Community Schools - Golden Charter Full Length Video
Founded in 2021 by former NFL safety Robert Golden, Golden Charter Academy in Fresno is the nation’s first TK–8 “zoo school.” With the Fresno Chaffee Zoo as its living classroom, the school weaves environmental stewardship, equity, and place-based learning into every grade. Through the Community Schools Partnership Program, Golden Charter deepens its commitment to integrated supports and family engagement, connecting students with real-world learning, local partnerships, and wraparound services that reflect the needs and strengths of the surrounding community.
Our Partners
