Robbinsdale District Receives Grant to Create ‘Community Schools’
The Robbinsdale School District received a grant to create full-service community schools at Cooper High School, Robbinsdale Middle School and the Sandburg Learning Center.
“It’s not just the academic component, but the wraparound support that all students and families need,” said Anthony Williams, executive director of community education for the district. “When you focus on the entire family, you can really see the outcomes in our students academically, their socio-emotional wellbeing, mental wellbeing.”
The first step is community outreach to see which services like mental or dental care, food shelves, mental health support or extended school days are needed at which facility. Williams says these assessments will come in the form of surveys and door knocking. The services offered at each school could differ, based on what each community needs.
“A lot of times we send families out to get services and they get lost in transition,” said Williams. “So, we’re really talking about centralizing resources at our school hubs.”
Anthony Williams is executive director of community education, athletics and activities.
In December, the district received the first $1.3 million of grant money from the Minnesota Dept. of Education to kick off a two-and-a-half year planning process. The total amount of the grant is $5 million.
Williams says he’s excited about expanding this model in Robbinsdale Schools.
“I think it’s a good fit for every district. I think it’s a model that’s needed in the world. We have to solely move past focusing on child when we can focus on the whole family,” said Williams.
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