by Jen Myers, Lowell Public Schools
Lowell Public Schools has been awarded a 5-year, $2.5 million Full-Service Community Schools grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support the district’s ongoing work to partner with local agencies who help our students thrive in and beyond school.
Community schools are places where the strengths and needs of students, families, and neighborhoods are addressed through partnership. A network of local agencies brings resources, services, and programs directly to the school buildings—including things like onsite food pantries, clothing and toiletries, vision and dental care, adult English classes, mental health care services, family cooking classes, access to resume building and job opportunities, tutoring, mentoring programs, and much more.
“The Community Schools strategy is essential, especially in a large urban district like Lowell where so many outside factors have a huge impact on student success,” said Superintendent of Schools Joel Boyd. “I am appreciative of this grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education and their acknowledgement of this integrative approach toward making schools the center of community activity, which ultimately strengthens conditions for student learning, development, and sense of belonging.”
The Community Schools program in Lowell began in 2015 at the Career Academy and was expanded in 2022 through ESSER funds to include the seven schools in the district with the highest-need populations (known as Renaissance schools) including: the Bartlett Community Partnership School, Butler Middle School, Greenhalge Elementary School, Lowell High School, Robinson Middle School, Sullivan Middle School, and Stoklosa Middle School.
“We started our partnership through the Community Schools model at the Career Academy seven years ago and have since grown to place our local teacher mentors on-site in eleven district schools,” said Rhea Gordon, CEO of Elevate New England. “Our goal is to reach an additional 200+ students through programming and leadership courses next year through the increased resources of the new grant. It will support our work to build lifelong relationships that get LPS students to and through graduation.”
Lowell Community Schools is a coalition of youth- and family-serving organizations convened by Lowell Public Schools to address the holistic strengths and needs of our city. Since 2015, the coalition has sought to address racial and socioeconomic opportunity gaps through the Full Service Community Schools model of connecting students, families, and neighbors with a network to thrive. Partners in this coalition include: 2020 Onsite, Abisi Adult Education, African Women Immigrant Refugee Care, Bike Connector, Billy’s Barbershop, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell, Catie’s Closet, Commonwealth Oral Mobile Health Services, Community Teamwork, Inc., Green Dragons, Elevate New England, JobCorps, Lowell Community Health Center, MassHire Career Center of Lowell, Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board, Mill City Grows, Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Middlesex Community College, Open Table, Project LEARN, UMass Lowell, and others.
“Our partnership with Lowell Public Schools has made school gardens and food education available for thousands of kids across the city,” said Jessica Wilson, Executive Director of Mill City Grows. “Working with LPS and other partners, we can do what we do best in an environment where families are well supported with services from other organizations, in a place where they are already spending time.”
In all, the Biden-Harris administration awarded $63 million in grant funds to 42 school districts, education agencies, and non-profit organizations. Lowell Public Schools is the lone entity in Massachusetts to receive this funding.
The district was awarded this competitive grant for its strong commitment to key elements of the Community School model including the schools’ systems of student support and the robust expanded learning time made possible by afterschool and summer school programs available at all schools through the state’s largest 21st Century Community Learning Center program. The Community Schools strategy centers around four pillars: Integrated supports, expanded and enriched learning time, active family and community, and collaborative leadership and practices to support high-quality teaching.
“Community Schools are an essential component of accelerating our students’ learning and supporting their social, emotional, and mental health, and deepening community partnerships,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who visited Lowell High School last year, said in a press release announcing the grants. “At the height of the pandemic, community schools connected students and families with vital nutrition assistance, mental, physical, and other health services, and expanded learning opportunities. This work continues today because we know that students learn best when there is a comprehensive and holistic approach to meeting their needs.”
Cardona’s visit to Lowell High School was coordinated and hosted by Congresswoman Lori Trahan, a LHS alumnus. The visit included a discussion with students around their needs to recover academically from the pandemic, including mental health support and workforce opportunities. As a former member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, Trahan has consistently supported funding for the U.S. Department of Education’s Full-Service Community Schools grants.
In Lowell, the grant funds will be used to add to and strengthen the resources and partnerships available through our community schools, to purchase supplies for citywide communication and family engagement, and to renovate spaces in schools to better accommodate place-based agency services for students and families.
