Nov 5

Nov 5 John Marshall's community schools approach goes beyond providing basic needs

News | 2021

John Marshall High School is one of five full-service community schools in the Rochester Public Schools district, which means students not only gain an academic education, they also have a partner in surpassing barriers that might otherwise impede their success in and out of the classroom.

The nationally-recognized community schools model is an equity strategy that pairs schools with community resources. Gage Elementary, Riverside Central Elementary, the Rochester Alternative Learning Center and Phoenix Academy, which began this school year, are the other site locations. The district is finalizing grants with the Department of Education to add the program to two more sites: Ben Franklin Elementary and John Adams Middle School.

When the program at JM began in August 2019, the first priority was to establish a resource room filled with food, clothing, hygiene products, and school supplies for students and their families. Now, more than two years later, the resource room is still going strong, but it has also become a springboard for other services the program has to offer.

According to Erin Vasquez, JM’s community schools site facilitator, “There are kids coming in here not just to get a winter coat or to get a bottle of shampoo. They’re coming in here for lots of reasons, so it’s trying to lower the stigma of what’s happening in our community room.”

Vasquez works with JM staff and community partners to assist students with a variety of services, going beyond what most might consider the basic needs. The program can offer students help with finding housing, applying for medical insurance, scheduling medical visits and dental exams, and getting mental health support.

JM students are now able to access the ALC community schools’ on-site health clinic that was established through a partnership with the Mayo Clinic. The Children’s Dental Health Services makes scheduled on-site visits to JM as well.

As for academic support and enrichment activities, 21st Century after-school programming offers students expanded learning opportunities and enrichment activities. Girl Scouts of America is one community partner that has been a strong presence on campus, actively working with students on their leadership skills.

While the strategy of the community schools model is common across all five schools, the outreach varies. “It’s very organic and responsive to the needs of that community,” said Julie Ruzek, coordinator of family and community engagement and Title I programming. When students or families come to her with what they want or need, she said, “It is about leading with love and having yes in your heart. If the initial response is yes, then we can try to make it work.”

To understand the priorities of where support is needed at each community school, a Comprehensive Needs Assessment is conducted every three years. This assessment is given to school leadership teams, along with students, parents, and community partners. The district also hired a Community Data Manager to create and analyze the community school database to deliver data reports to the district as well as the community partners.

While it’s still too early to tell if the program has helped improve academic outcomes, Ruzek said that one of the biggest wins so far was an increase in student attendance. A number of the community schools sites have also reported seeing their transiency percentages going down.

What does the future hold?

At JM, Vasquez said they are working on how to better support post high school preparedness and create a smoother transition from middle school to high school.

She also shared that a bigger need overall is to "get more community partners that culturally reflect the student population that we have. It’s a need that students have shared. They want to interact with more adults that look like them. It’s a need that parents have shared.”

As for the future of JM’s resource room, Vasquez will continue to keep the fridge stocked with healthy snacks, but she also takes the time to interact with as many students as possible “so they have a personal connection with somebody at school who is positive and that they feel supported by.”