Community schools are public schools that partner with families and community organizations to provide well-rounded educational opportunities and support for students’ school success. Community schools must be built on a foundation of powerful teaching that includes challenging academic content and supports students’ mastery of 21st century skills and competencies. Bakersfield City School District, recognizing that our district is primed and ready to reimagine how we do school to effectively serve our students. The community schools strategy seamlessly frames the BCSD Portrait of a Graduate by creating a culture and climate where students can flourish and thrive.

California Community School Framework

4 Pillars
● Expanded learning time and opportunities
● Integrated student supports
● Collaborative leadership and practice
● Active family and community engagement

4 Key Conditions of Learning
● Supportive environmental conditions that foster
relationships
● Productive instructional strategies
● Social and emotional learning (SEL) that fosters skills,
habits, and mindsets
● System of supports that enable healthy development

4 Cornerstone Commitments to:
● Asset-driven and strength-based practice
● Racially just and restorative school climates
● Powerful, culturally proficient and relevant instruction
● Shared decision-making and participatory practices

4 Proven Practices
● Community asset mapping & gap analysis
● A community school coordinator
● Site-based and LEA-based advisory councils
● Integrating and aligning with other relevant programs

BCSD Participating Community Schools

The four schools embarking on this journey for Bakersfield City School District are Stella Hills Elementary, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, McKinley Elementary and Emerson Middle School.  

These schools were chosen because of their existing services and support for families at each respective campus, the needs of the population, and in addition because of the proximity of each campus and ease of access for families to a Wellness Center.

Current common community partners

Garden Pathways offer transformational mentoring, Stay Focused program Reach 4 Greatness offers mentoring and inspiration to students and Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) has case managers on each site offering services to families.