School's a community effort in Indiana district

04-20-2011

By Mary Ann Zehr/Education Week

Being the principal of a “community school” means Kimberly A. Johnson doesn’t have to go it alone in addressing some of the social or health problems that distract children from doing well in school. Within just a couple of days last month, a nearby Wal-Mart store agreed to a request from one of Ms. Johnson’s staff members to pay for shampoo to help a family get rid of head lice, a representative of a local women’s shelter agreed to counsel students involved in texting or receiving nude photos, and a social worker for a public-health organization offered to find someone to chat with a parent about the side effects of medicine being considered to help her son stay focused in the classroom. Ms. Johnson’s K-8 Lincoln School relies on ties between its district—the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation—and churches, social service agencies, nonprofit community groups, and other local organizations that have built a web of support to nurture schoolchildren across the entire district from “diaper to diploma.” (more...)

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