Principals can provide statistics on changes in suspension rates, vandalism, drug-related problems and community support. Parent and student surveys will track satisfaction with safety, academic progress and increased opportunities. Despite agreement on gaps in service, the powerful politics of agency budgets and authority can mean lost opportunities to collaborate to better serve children. A proposed storefront school project for youth in trouble with the law foundered for years on battles between school, legal, and social agencies while troubled teens fell through the cracks. Few professionals are trained to work in an integrated service delivery system.
Most schools lack the authority to manage substantial integrated service programs.
More autonomous charter schools, with full control of their budgets, are able to contract with outside agencies for services to support learning. This may account for the fact that many public charter schools are established specifically to serve at-risk populations. OECD research on youth at-risk highlights examples where power is devolved to schools to address needs. There is little disagreement on the value of full service schools. There is room for public policy development to create the necessary conditions to ensure their success in improving the learning achievement and lives of children.