School Redesign & Community Schools
A Shared Vision.
California's Community Schools Initiative and learner-centered school redesign share a common goal: creating schools where every young person is known, supported, and empowered to thrive. Both approaches emphasize the whole learner, the importance of strong relationships, and deep connections between schools and communities.
The five school design structures—small learning communities, distributed leadership, teacher collaboration, performance assessment, and real-world learning—directly align with the four community school pillars of integrated student supports, collaborative leadership, extended learning opportunities, and family/community engagement.
For example, small learning communities foster belonging and provide wraparound supports, while performance assessments create meaningful ways for learners to demonstrate growth in partnership with families and community audiences. Similarly, real-world learning expands educational opportunities through internships and community projects, directly echoing the extended learning vision of community schools.
By centering on a clear identity rooted in local values, schools can weave these design elements together in ways that both honor their community and advance the broader goals of California's Community Schools. The result is a coherent, learner-centered model that transforms the learning experience itself, ensuring that schools are not just places of service delivery but hubs of innovation, belonging, and possibility.
A Call to Action
Are we preparing learners for the tests of life, or just a life of tests?
