COMMUNITY AND SITE DEVELOPMENT (CSD):
Connecting school and community for the success of every child
The Southern Initiative Algebra Project community and site development goal is simply to connect schools and communities in ways that surround children with a strong floor beneath which they cannot sink, a wall of support from which they cannot escape and a ceiling of possibilities that rises as they rise.
We accomplish this goal by partnering with community- and faith-based groups; child and family agencies and advocates; and school-, district-, and state-level personnel in a Design Team process to:
- Create a success-oriented expectation and climate for all children, especially the most vulnerable
- Build and sustain out-of-school supports and extended learning opportunities to augment the work of schools
- Bridge gaps, structure or restructure relationships, rearrange assets and transcend cultural divides to ensure every child's access to quality education
- Train and support new leadership for necessary elements of this work
The transformational work to ensure the success of all children must belong to the community, just as the children do. To that end, we:
- Identify and engage a broad base of diverse stakeholder groups in the Design Team process
- Facilitate a Connecting School and Community dialogue to action process that results in concrete, goal-oriented plans for child and family success
- Conduct Community Leadership Institutes to train local citizens to organize and sustain the work
- Assist school leaders in designing and implementing support structures for community engagement
Key Questions Guiding the Work
- What are the opportunities and obstacles in restructuring university-school-community connections for the success of all children?
- What kinds of school-based structures and supports are necessary to ensure the success we want for all children?
- What kinds of community-based structures, supports, and activities are necessary to ensure the success we want for all children?
- What resources are available in and to the university, school, and community to ensure the success we want for all children