Students perform better at schools offering extra services on campus, study finds
chools that offer dental care, mental health counseling, food assistance and other services have a significant and measurable positive impact on student achievement, according to research released this week by the Learning Policy Institute and the National Education Policy Center.
The 26-page brief, “Community Schools: An Evidence-based Strategy for Equitable School Improvement,” found that schools that collaborate with nonprofits and government agencies to provide extra on-campus services in many cases showed increases in attendance, graduation rates and academic achievement, especially in math and reading.
Community schools, which have been gaining popularity for the past decade as Congress increased funding for them, are traditional public schools that serve as community hubs for families and students. Services can range from health care to job training for parents and teens to English classes to high-quality after-school and summer programs.
“Well-implemented community schools work,” said Anna Maier, a research and policy associate at the Learning Policy Institute who co-authored the brief, along with Jeannie Oakes, education professor emeritus at UCLA and senior fellow in residence at the Learning Policy Institute, and Julia Daniel, a doctoral student at Students perform better at schools offering extra services on campus, study finds | EdSource:
