Community Schools Initiative

Schools created for the community, by the community.

LACOE’s Community Schools Initiative launched in September 2019 and is currently being implemented at a number of schools across the county that serve communities, students and their families.

Beyond being implementers of the community schools initiative, we support all community schools throughout the Los Angeles area through our Greater Los Angeles Regional Technical Assistance Center (R-TAC)

Our mission is to disrupt inequities and break the cycle of poverty by leveraging assets to transform schools into "hubs" of the community. With authentic collaborative leadership at the center, we believe students, staff, families, and communities are essential partners to ensure all are seen, valued and supported.

The unprecedented partnership among LACOE, county agencies, school districts, and community-based organizations has enriched the lives of more than 250,000 students and their families across L.A. County.

We are leading the way in strengthening school communities to create a more equitable, socially just system where all students, families, and staff are empowered and thrive.

Along with being implementers of community schools LACOE is one of eight Regional Transformational Assistance Centers (R-TACs). LACOE, as the lead agency, applied and was awarded the CCSPP R-TAC Funding for Greater Los Angeles. Partner organizations include The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health and the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools

Many students face challenging life experiences that can impact their ability to learn. But what if there was a way to customize the learning and student supports at a school to truly create the conditions they need to learn, grow and succeed?

Schools that implement a Community Schools learning model work to identify what barriers students are facing, collaborate with community partners to leverage resources, and ultimately improve the academic, emotional and physical well-being of students within their communities.

Each school is unique to the community it serves. By incorporating specific strategies, schools are transformed into a community hub providing services and resources to meet the needs of students, families and the community.

"A Community School is a place where we can come and spend a good time, socializing with others. We can count on teachers (CSI Staff) that will listen to us. They can help us resolve school and personal issues."

- Pedro Cortes, Student, Azusa High School

LACOE Community Schools Initiative, in partnership with the LA County Department of Mental Health and participating districts, is providing school social work services to qualifying LACOE Community Schools through a grant funded through California's Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA). These services further enhance the LACOE Community Schools vision of creating school communities which empower all students, families, and staff to thrive by promoting mental health and wellbeing through a multi-tiered approach. Click here to learn more about the MHSSA grant.