Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence

This report examines 143 research studies on each of the four community school pillars, along with evaluation studies of community schools as a comprehensive strategy. In each area, the report synthesizes high-quality studies that use a range of research methods, drawing conclusions about the findings that warrant confidence while also pointing to areas in which the research is inconclusive. In addition, we assess whether the research base justifies the use of well-designed community schools as an “evidence-based” intervention under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in schools targeted for comprehensive support.