Leveraging Community Schools for Community Development: Lessons from Baltimore's 21stCentury School Buildings Program

Abstract

This study leverages data collected from a study of Baltimore's 21stCentury School Buildings Program to understand the potential of a school facilities investment to catalyze community development. We leverage a school-community partnership typology to examine partnerships at 21CSBP schools in three neighborhoods. We found that schools provided critical resources to their school and place-based communities and were linked to community development efforts. We argue that community development partnership models are possible when schools and their partners view their work as going beyond the schoolhouse door. The study extends the field's understanding of the interdependence of school and neighborhood improvement.