The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education awarded a $115,000 grant to the Pine Bluff School District to advance its Pine Bluff Community Schools endeavor.
District leaders announced the grant at a Monday news conference at James Matthews Elementary School, one of two Community Schools in the district, along with the Forrest Park/Greenville Kinder Center. The NEA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the National Education Association.
A Community School is based on four pillars — integrated student support, expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities, family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership. A Mobile Resource Center will also increase digital access for families in the district.
The overarching goal, the district says, is to embed family empowerment, workforce development and lifelong learning opportunities within its Community Schools framework.
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“We looked at this model and we researched and looked at other districts who adopted this model, and it’s helped in so many different ways, with not only getting the community involved, but also with increasing student engagement and student support,” said assistant Superintendent Phillip Carlock.
The NEA Foundation launched the Community Schools Initiative in 2020. In the NEA’s Southern Regional Alliance for Community Schools, 16 schools in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi have earned the Community Schools designation, 13 are under development or slated for transformation into Community Schools, and seven have expressed interest or are developing the strategy, according to an article from the Brookings Institution.
According to a news release, Matthews (grades 1-6) and Forrest Park/Greenville (grades PK3, PK4 and kindergarten) are Title I campuses and will use the grant in alignment with the grant to strengthen the instruction core through academic intervention, expanded learning time and coordinated wraparound services. The district received a $58,000 grant last school year to found its Community Schools program.
“A school is not just a building. It’s a reflection of the community,” said Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree, adding that Community School districts have a 15% higher graduation rate than those that are not.
Many of the initiatives the PBSD has already promoted, including vision screenings, student teacher residencies, banking for students and financial literacy programs and literacy support for families are part of its Community Schools program.
“We’ve been doing it for many, many years, but we didn’t have a name or title for this,” said Mae Hawkins-Coleman, the district’s director of health services. “We all will be around the table as a good community neighbor and meet students right where they are. We have students who miss important class time due to preventable health conditions. With Community Schools, we can help bridge the gap.”
The district is planning to strengthen its advocacy through legislative outreach, stakeholder roundtables and community storytelling efforts with the purpose of securing sustainable funding and policy support, according to the newsletter.
“We have a lot of volunteers and people who have a willingness to serve and support the district,” Carlock said, “but aligning it with the district’s goal and making sure that we shift that support to the schools that need it most.”
Carlock said the district is asking the public to reach out and inquire about how to become involved by reaching out to Kimberly Davis, dean of the School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, at daviski@uapb.edu; or Kimberley West, Community Schools coordinator for the district, at Kimberley.west@pinebluffschools.org. Matthews and Forrest Park/Greenville each have parent and engagement coordinators, Carlock said.
“We want them to have a voice because it’s all about what the parents, students and the community need,” Carlock said. “So we want them to have a voice, be at the table and let us know how we can strengthen this Community School structure.”