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ERIC Number: ED567805
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jun
Pages: 62
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Baltimore Community Schools: Promise & Progress
Durham, Rachel E.; Connolly, Faith
Baltimore Education Research Consortium
This report documents the interim progress of the Baltimore Community School (CommSch) strategy by examining outcomes for the 2014-15 school year. Results show that CommSch parents more often reported being connected with community resources by school staff compared to parents at other schools. They also were more likely to report that school staff cared about their child and that the school was working closely with them to help their children learn. While the current report does not show any significant differences between Community Schools and non-Community Schools in measures of organizational health and school climate, students in the longer-operating Community Schools had higher attendance in 2014-15, which suggests that school is a place they want to be and offers activities they do not want to miss. Findings did not indicate that students had higher attendance in all CommSchs; specifically, attendance in high schools remains a serious challenge, and it appears there is a relationship between the amount of time a school has implemented the model and student attendance. As might be expected, the more seasoned schools produced differences relative to non-Community Schools students not yet noticeable among students in newer schools. In summary, the findings for CommSchs suggest promising indications of increased engagement as reflected in a significantly higher levels of parent connections to school staff and community resources. Attendance is also higher for many students in CommSchs than in non-CommSchs, especially those implementing for five or more years. Results continue to indicate that OST participants attend school more often than similar peers. While causation cannot be proved with this comparative study design, the consistent findings are encouraging, especially for middle school grades where disengagement from school often begins. Key findings from the report include: (1) Parents reporting a more "connected" feeling to Community Schools than those in non-Community Schools; (2) Students in grades 6, 9, and 10 were less likely to transfer out of their school, relative to students in the same grades in non-Community Schools; and (3) Community Schools operating for 5 years or more had fewer chronically absent students. The following are appended: (1) Baltimore Community Schools by Implementation Year; (2) Family League's Vision of Community Schools in Baltimore; (3) Methodology for Community Schools Analyses; (4) Regression Results from Community School vs non-Community School Analyses; (5) Methodology for OST Analyses; (6) 2014-15 OST Serving Information; and (7) OST Outcome Analyses.
Baltimore Education Research Consortium. 2701 North Charles Street Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 410-516-4044; Web site: http://www.baltimore-berc.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Reports - Research-practitioner Partnerships
Education Level: Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools; Elementary Education; Grade 9; Junior High Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools; Grade 10
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC)
Identifiers - Location: Maryland (Baltimore)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A