Brooklyn Center Schools #286

Two years ago, when we began in earnest to develop the model of Community Schools in our district, the idea was pretty new in Minnesota. The concept of emphasizing Academics, Wellness and Supports and Enrichment as a whole rather than separate entities, had been successful all over the country, but not really here. Fast-forward two years and Brooklyn Center Schools is now a Community Schools District.  We have a comprehensive system of student and learning supports to address barriers to learning and teaching, and to re-engage disconnected students. There are over 100 partners working collaboratively to provide these supports while we enhance their important work and reduce duplication of efforts. Those are a lot of words to say “we all work together to efficiently and effectively use our skills to help students learn.” And, in the past two years, the idea has caught on. Many districts and organizations are seeing the value of this approach. They see it as a way to possibly reduce costs by sharing resources, but, more important, it is a way to involve an entire community in the education of its children. It’s a great idea whose time has come and schools across the state are seeing it. On March 2, 2011 we are helping to convene individuals and groups interested in learning more and digging deep into how to implement and sustain these programs. Representation from schools, local agencies supporting children and education, funding organizations and more will meet together for the first time. We can only imagine the power of such a group leading the way to a different approach to education in our schools. Brooklyn Center Schools is Your School District. We want you to know your school district is digging in to provide the best for your children in tough times. Your school district is also setting the bar for how to achieve educational success through innovation and collaboration.