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ST. PAUL, Minn. Nov. 30, 2015 – Expanding access to full-service community schools is a key strategy for raising the achievement of Minnesota students of color and students living in poverty, according to a new report from Education Minnesota’s think tank.

The Educator Policy and Innovation Center, or EPIC, will present its new report at a news conference at 10:15 a.m. Thursday at Brooklyn Center High School, 6500 Humboldt Ave. N., Brooklyn Center, Minn.

The report, “Our Communities, Our Schools: Closing the Opportunity Gap in Minnesota with Full-Service Community Schools,” describes a new vision for how public schools are operated and for the services those schools provide to their students and their families.

Parents and members of the surrounding community typically have more influence in setting the priorities of full-service community schools than in traditional schools. Full-service community schools also typically offer a wider range of services, which are often donated, and may include health care, summer learning programs or even housing assistance.

“If we want to have equitable outcomes for our students, we must give them equitable opportunities, no matter where they live,” said Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota. “The full-service community school model is a school improvement strategy that does just that.”

For example, the graduation rate at Brooklyn Center High School, one of Minnesota’s current full-service community schools, improved 14 percentage points from 2010 to 2014, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Education.

The Minnesota Legislature appropriated $500,000 for full-service community schools pilot projects in the 2015 session. The new EPIC report argues the Legislature should increase that investment when it returns in the spring of 2016.

What: News conference to present report on full-service community schools.
When: 10:15 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 3.
Where: Brooklyn Center High School, 6500 Humboldt Ave. N., Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
Who: Presenters include Education Minnesota President Denise Specht, a teacher from Irondale High School who consulted on the report and the parent of child in an existing full-service community school.
Note: A portion of the presentation will be Spanish. A translator will be available.

About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.