EdResearch for Recovery - Brief 14 - Leveraging Community Partnerships for Integrated Student Support

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

Brief No. 14 examines what research indicates about using community-based resources to reduce academic and social gaps created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief explains how the crisis exposed and intensified problems that exceeded schools’ and districts’ existing capacity, including basic family needs, technology access, childcare, and academic enrichment. It highlights evidence for comprehensive school-site community partnerships, integrated wraparound services, and adaptable extended learning time, while outlining key pitfalls and systems requirements.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Central Question

Key Insights

Breaking Down the Issue

Strategies to Consider

Strategies to Avoid

Breaking Down the Issue (continued)

Basic Family Needs

Technology Access

Childcare

EdResearch For Recovery February 2021 LEVERAGING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS FOR INTEGRATED STUDENT SUPPORT Velma McBride Murry | Vanderbilt University Reuben Jacobson | American University Betheny Gross | Center for Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington Brief No. 14 This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. Click here to learn more about the EdResearch for Recovery Project and view the set of COVID-19 response-andrecovery topic areas and practitioner-generated questions. ~~ ~~CENTRAL~~ ~~QUESTION~~ ~~ What does research tell us about how to use community-based resources to address academic and social gaps resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic? KEY INSIGHTS Breaking Down the Issue The pandemic revealed and exacerbated problems that have pushed schools and districts beyond their existing capacity to effectively respond. Partnerships between school districts and community organizations let schools draw on rooted community assets to confront key areas of concern, including basic family needs, technology access, childcare, and academic enrichment. Strategies to Consider Evidence supports the use of comprehensive school-site partnerships, such as full-service community schools, to leverage existing resources and provide a structure for families and community members to strengthen the school. Integrated or wraparound services, where schools partner with community organizations to provide students with direct nonacademic supports, also show meaningful evidence of success. Extended learning time programs provided by community partner groups can be adapted in innovative ways to support students during the pandemic. Community-based assets are able to coordinate their schoollevel efforts most effectively when supported by systemslevel coordinating infrastructure. Strategies to Avoid Community-based organizations will likely not be able to assist school districts in addressing additional needs during this period without additional resources. Establishing partnershipson unspoken expectations, or without having full knowledge of the skills, capacities, and resources of new partners can lead tomisalignment on expectations and desired outcomes. Systems that move forward to address new demands without assessing existing resources can fail to uncover assets that are already available in the broader community. EdResearch for Recovery-February 2021 1 EdResearch For Recovery ~~ ~~BREAKING~~ ~~DOWN~~ ~~THE~~ ~~ISSUE~~ ~~ The pandemic revealed and exacerbated longstanding problems that have pushed the majority of schools and districts beyond their existing capacity to effectively respond. While schools have traditionally played some role as a social service provider, the pandemic produced a wave of operational needs on top of intense new instructional demands. For many schools, the operational demands (device distribution, provision of home internet access, meal distribution, family communication) crowded out capacity for high-quality instruction. New demands are not likely to let up in the near future; regardless of mode of instruction, school districts are supporting students with growing academic, mental health, and basic fundamental needs (e.g. , food and nutrition) . The demands of schooling during the pandemic exacerbated existing systemic barriers to learning including poverty, inequitable distribution of resources, and racial, ethnic, economic, and ability bias. The challenge of navigating the pandemic has been more acutely felt in schools and districts situated in communities with high poverty rates and those serving majority students of color. Partnerships between school districts and community organizations let schools draw on rooted community assets to confront ke

FAQs

What central question does this brief address?

It asks what research says about using community-based resources to address academic and social gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Which partnerships does the brief say are supported by evidence?

It supports comprehensive school-site partnerships, such as full-service community schools, and integrated wraparound services provided through school-community collaboration.

What risks does the brief warn about when forming community partnerships?

It notes that organizations may lack resources to meet added needs without extra support, and that unclear expectations or insufficient knowledge of partners’ capacities can lead to misalignment on desired outcomes.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob