Why We Exist

For far too long New Mexico has been at or near the bottom on the list for child well being and educational outcomes.  By no means do we want to deny or minimize this data, but we also know there is a lot that our communities have to offer.  By implementing a community school strategy into public schools - we intentionally align resources, educational opportunities, out of school programming, and community needs and strengths into the educational experience. 

​

New Mexico also had a landmark court ruling in the Martinez/Yazzie vs. The State of New Mexico case that ruled that students from certain socio-economic backgrounds or students who inherently had other barriers were not receiving their constitutional rights met of “receiving a quality education by the state”. The community school strategy is an evidence-based intervention that has been proven to improve outcomes and increase opportunities for students who have been identified in this lawsuit.

 

[Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Legislature have seen the positive impact that community schools can have in our state, and have prioritized and expanded opportunities for school districts and individual schools to bring the community school strategy to their community.  Currently there are 80? Community schools in New Mexico, with 51 of them existing in Albuquerque Public School District, with the ABC Community School Partnership serving as the lead partner agency aligning the system level resources and policies to further equip the democracy of the public schools by bringing in voice from students, teachers, business leaders and the local community.]

​

A Community School is both A Place and a Set of Partnerships between a school and other community resources.  Its integrated focus on academics, services, supports, and opportunities leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities.