“As I walk through the halls of our schools, I imagine if these walls could talk. If they could tell the story of the people, of the pride, that flowed through these hallways for generations. That’s the legacy we are inheriting. So, this is my question. What are we going to do with it?”
Keith Parker, superintendent of Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools
Abel wants to be a pilot. Or a pastor. Or an opera singer. Or all of the above. As a sophomore at Northeastern High School in Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools (ECPPS), he has time to figure it out. More than anything, Abel is determined to use his voice to move others — whether calming a flight crew, inspiring a congregation, or moving a community into action through his music.
Like his 700 peers at Northeastern, his 5,000 fellow ECPPS students, and the 1.4 million children and young adults who attend public schools in North Carolina, Abel carries with him more than just his backpack into the classroom each day. He carries his own legacy, a legacy of — and responsibility to — a family that has shaped his values and the reality of systems that have not always provided the support that he and his family have needed. At Northeastern, Abel finds himself in a community that strives to be just and joyful, a school that, as a part of the NC Community Schools Coalition, has become a hub of pride and resources built for and by Abel and his classmates.
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As members of the NC Community Schools Coalition, we are encouraged by the recent release of a bold five-year strategic plan by the Department of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education. In Achieving Educational Excellence, Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green and the State Board of Education members declared, “To be clear — to be the best is the only option.”
This is the option we champion every day, and we applaud this declaration and the plan’s eight strategic pillars. We know that the NC Community Schools framework is an essential building block to realize the ambitious goals of this plan.
“We believe schools can be the heartbeat of a community.”
Jamie King, superintendent of Sampson County Schools
A rich history
A vision of a public school serving as the heartbeat of its community is not new. It is a culmination of over 100 years of individuals and institutions, programs and partnerships coalescing for this aim. From the 1889 Settlement House in Chicago, to the 1893 People Village School in Alabama, to the Rosenwald Schools launched across the South in the 1900’s, through the 1937 Nambe Community School in New Mexico to the 1973 Oakland Community School, there is a rich history of schools celebrating the strengths that students and families bring into their buildings while meeting their academic, social-emotional, and physical needs.
These are schools that exist as the center of gravity for their communities, weaving together families and businesses and public systems in service of an enduring and vibrant democracy built on thriving public education for every child everywhere. This is the type of school that is worthy of Abel’s brilliance. This is the type of school that is worthy of all North Carolina public school students.
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We are not alone in this perspective. During Green’s listening tour, many individuals proposed that schools serve as community hubs offering integrated health services, family support, extended learning hours, and wrap-around support coordinated with local agencies and organizations. This is why Green and the State Board of Education included community schools as a priority for through its third pillar, “Enhance Parent, Caregiver and Community Support.” As superintendents and state leaders working with NC Community Schools, we see how this model will help drive our schools toward success under not just that pillar, but all eight of the plan’s pillars.
As we celebrate the promise of the new school year, students in 30 schools from the coast to the mountains, including Northeastern High School, have begun the year in NC Community Schools. Through implementation of the NC Community Schools Framework, schools will demonstrate the power of student, family, educator and community-led neighborhood public schools.
“We believe in NC Community Schools because we have seen its transformative power for students, educators, and communities in other N.C. districts and across the country. Through this model, districts have been able to address health care, housing, and food security challenges and create opportunities for more authentic student and family engagement, which we know are foundational to increasing academic achievement. “
Melanie Shaver, superintendent of Hyde County Schools
A framework that drives student, family outcomes
The framework is straightforward. First, understand the strengths and needs of each school and its community. Then, build a school advisory board made of students, families, staff and community leaders to work alongside a full-time Community School Coordinator to determine how to leverage those strengths to build partnerships and programs to address needs.
With this framework in place, we have seen increased pride in and for schools and accompanying higher rates of enrollment. Those connected to NC Community Schools are having their basic needs met, like their physical health, access to food, and enrollment in benefits.
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Families are overcoming the challenges that too often keep kids out of schools and out of classrooms, and we are observing decreasing rates of absenteeism and suspensions. Ultimately, this allows for teachers to have the opportunity to do what they do best: teach. In addition to engaging academically, students are able to dream of what else they want for their communities — whether a new STEM room to make learning come to life, a homecoming breakfast to celebrate the generations who previously walked the halls, a job fair with offers made on the spot to high school students and their families, or a “Passing the Torch” trip to Washington, D.C. with seniors sharing wisdom with rising freshmen while exploring their identities and this country’s history.
“Our public schools are the cornerstone of the community and interconnected. If students are to experience positive social, academic, and emotional outcomes, educators and other community stakeholders must work together to remove any barriers that will prevent that from happening.”
Otis Smallwood, superintendent of Bertie County Schools
NC Community Schools are organized thoughtfully and intentionally, with the ability to capture what is right for each community. They open doors for collaboration, innovation, and shared expertise, creating the conditions for strengthening connections with families, local organizations, and community members — relationships essential to supporting and celebrating the whole child.
We believe in the power of NC Community Schools to support school districts in delivering the education every student deserves. NC Community Schools are not only helping us meet today’s needs; they are building a sustainable, research-driven model for the future of public education in North Carolina, answering the question of what to do with the 100-year legacy we have inherited with an unmistakable optimism for the next hundred years to come.
“When schools and the community work hand in hand, students feel seen, supported, and valued. That sense of belonging not only helps them succeed academically, but also nurtures their social and emotional well-being. Together, we can create learning experiences that are meaningful, engaging, and connected to the world our students live in. This is game changing.”
David White, superintendent of Washington County Schools
At Northeastern High School, Abel has been working to use his voice — not allowing the impression of others nor a speech impediment — to get in his way. Today, Abel enrolls in classes in Northeastern’s new Aviation Academy, a partnership between the district, Elizabeth City State University, and College of The Albemarle. He sings in the school choir while leading Sunday worship at his church. He continues to use his voice to move his peers and school partners, recently singing “Greatest Love of All” to a group of state leaders, reminding us that children are our future.
As superintendents across North Carolina, we are proud to build on the long legacy of this state’s community-led public schools and to lead the growth of community schools statewide. Together we can create the conditions for students to find and amplify their voices, driving our state’s progress toward reaching the ambitious and essential vision for our public schools that our children deserve and our state needs.
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