I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3873 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in order 
to support the community schools model. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 14, 2014 
Mr. HONDA (for himself, Mr. GRIJALVA, and Mr. CARTWRIGHT) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 in order to support the community schools model. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Commu-
nity Schools Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The community school model effectively 
leverages multiple education funding streams, which 
results in greater resources for a school. Community 
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schools increase and sustain capacity through diver-
sified financial support and leverage, on average, 3 
dollars from private and other sources for every 1 
dollar of State funding provided to the schools. Ac-
cording to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, for 
every dollar spent on community schools, the United 
States is getting back 5, 6, or 7 dollars from the 
business community, nonprofit organizations, social 
service agencies, and State and Federal govern-
ments. 
(2) According to Linda Darling-Hammond, the 
Charles DuCommon Professor of Education at Stan-
ford University, community schools, which make 
local schools the hub of education and health serv-
ices for children and families, have proven to be 
highly successful and are cost effective and 
replicable. Community schools are a force for devel-
opment and stability that strengthens families and 
communities, and such schools offer childcare and 
early learning, family literacy and job-training, tu-
toring and enrichment before and after school, and 
on-site health clinics. 
(3) The bulk of community school resources go 
directly to assist schools in meeting the schools’ core 
instructional missions, while also strengthening the 
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health and well-being of students, families, and 
neighborhoods. Community schools dedicate approxi-
mately 57 percent of expenditures to support learn-
ing through academic enrichment and after school 
activities, summer learning programs, early child-
hood education, service learning and civic engage-
ment, life skills, sports, and recreation. The second 
largest expenditure, 19 percent, is directed towards 
health and mental health services, which ensure that 
children are physically able to learn and that health- 
related barriers are identified and addressed. On av-
erage, 12 percent of the resources are spent on sup-
porting families, adult education, and immigrant 
services. Twelve percent is spent on staff sites, in-
cluding the costs of a coordinator, tutors, interns, 
mentors, and volunteers, working on the alignment 
of activities for the community school. 
(4) The Tulsa Area Community Schools Initia-
tive (TACSI) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, operates 18 com-
munity schools that serve as centers of community 
life, offering comprehensive programs, services, and 
opportunities to students, families, and the neigh-
boring community. Researchers compared 18 TACSI 
schools to 18 non-TACSI schools and found that 
students in TACSI schools that had deeply embed-
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ded the community school model scored significantly 
higher than comparable students in non-TACSI 
schools on mathematics achievement tests. Further, 
the 18 TACSI schools had higher ratings of instruc-
tional leadership and effective supervisory practices, 
a stronger culture of faculty trust, and higher levels 
of student trust of teachers, school identification 
among students, parent trust in school, and school 
outreach, than the comparison schools. 
(5) In Multnomah County, Oregon, Schools 
Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) transforms schools 
into community schools. SUN is a partnership of 
Multnomah County, the City of Portland, including 
Children’s Investment Fund, local school districts, 
the Oregon Department of Human Services, a Busi-
ness Leader’s Roundtable, and nonprofit organiza-
tions. Data shows that students who regularly par-
ticipated in SUN activities showed strong gains in 
academics, attendance, and behavioral areas. There 
was a 76 percent increase in State benchmark scores 
in reading and mathematics for such students, the 
average daily school attendance at such schools was 
95 percent, and 74 percent of the students had a 
more positive attitude toward schools. 
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(6) All Cincinnati, Ohio, public schools are 
using some level of the community school strategy. 
Cincinnati Public Schools have been the most im-
proved urban district in Ohio. Cincinnati, Ohio, is 
the first urban district in the State to receive an 
‘‘effective’’ rating. The district had a rating of ‘‘aca-
demic emergency’’ when the districtwide community 
learning center program first began. Oyler Elemen-
tary School, where 92 percent of the students receive 
free or reduced lunch under the Richard B. Russell 
National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et 
seq.), was once threatened with closure. Oyler Ele-
mentary School has achieved more than its expected 
level of growth for more than 2 consecutive years. 
The school’s performance index has improved by 6 
percent in the last 2 years alone. 
(7) In Providence, Rhode Island, results from 
Bailey Elementary School, the first full-service com-
munity school in the State, are positive. In 2009, 
Bailey Elementary School made adequate yearly 
progress in both mathematics and reading for the 
first time in 4 years. In reading, students in grade 
3 went from scoring 27 percent proficiency in 2007 
to 41 percent in 2009, scores for students in grade 
4 jumped from 28 percent proficiency to 59 percent 
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during the same period, and students in grade 5 
moved from 12 percent proficiency to 39 percent. 
(8) The Evansville Vanderburgh School Cor-
poration (EVSC) in Evansville, Indiana, is a district-
wide community school system that serves over 
22,000 students in 38 schools. Students are con-
nected to their schools and to helping institutions 
like churches and community organizations, libraries 
and health clinics, recreation centers and volunteer 
agencies, all of which allow students to explore and 
participate in the larger community. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to provide State edu-
cational agencies and local educational agencies with the 
funding, flexibility, and support necessary to implement 
a research and evidence based community school model, 
in order to— 
(1) enable local educational agencies and com-
munity partners, including public and private agen-
cies, community-based organizations, local govern-
ment, institutions of higher education, families, fam-
ily advocacy organizations, after school program pro-
viders, summer program providers, museums, librar-
ies, and other cultural institutions and civic organi-
zations, to leverage their resources to prepare stu-
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dents for institutions of higher education, careers, 
and citizenship, through the creation and establish-
ment of community schools; and 
(2) to provide funding for the creation, continu-
ation, or expansion of results-driven partnerships 
that align numerous funding streams, including pub-
lic and private funding, and leverage existing fund-
ing. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (39), by striking ‘‘STATE.— 
The’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(40) STATE.—The’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through 
(36), paragraphs (37) through (39), and paragraphs 
(40) through (43) as paragraphs (8) through (37), 
paragraphs (39) through (41), and paragraphs (44) 
through (47), respectively; 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(7) COMMUNITY SCHOOL.—The term ‘commu-
nity school’ means a public elementary school or sec-
ondary school that— 
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‘‘(A) provides a coordinated and responsive 
set of programs and integrated student sup-
ports that focus on academics, mental and 
physical health and social services, youth and 
community development, early care and edu-
cation programs and services, expanded learn-
ing time (including summer learning), and com-
munity engagement that leads to improved stu-
dent learning and development, stronger fami-
lies, and healthier communities; 
‘‘(B) is supported by a set of partnerships 
between such school or local educational agency 
and other community resources, such as com-
munity-based organizations, nonprofit organiza-
tions, and other public or private entities with 
a demonstrated record of successfully meeting 
student and family needs, consistent with the 
purpose of a community school model, as de-
scribed in section 3 of the Supporting Commu-
nity Schools Act of 2013; 
‘‘(C) in addition to serving as an elemen-
tary school or secondary school, also operates as 
a center of the community that is open to the 
community and provides or hosts relevant serv-
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ices for the community, to the greatest extent 
practicable; 
‘‘(D) allows for the coordination of the as-
sets of the school and communities to more effi-
ciently and effectively meet the needs of all stu-
dents; 
‘‘(E) provides opportunities for collabora-
tion between the specialized instructional sup-
port personnel who are employed by a school or 
a local educational agency and are responsible 
for providing specialized instructional support 
services, school nurses, and other staff to offer 
a comprehensive range of services and opportu-
nities to children, families, and communities; 
‘‘(F) identifies a site coordinator (who may 
be provided through a partnership with a non-
profit organization) to serve as a liaison with 
partner organizations in order to assist the 
community school in providing children and 
families with the integrated services and com-
prehensive supports that are needed to improve 
the learning of children and the ability of chil-
dren to plan for postsecondary educational op-
portunities, such as services and supports re-
lated to— 
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‘‘(i) health; 
‘‘(ii) employment; 
‘‘(iii) mentoring or tutoring services, 
and other human services; 
‘‘(iv) 
enrichment 
and 
accelerated 
learning opportunities; 
‘‘(v) before school and after school 
programs; 
‘‘(vi) recreation programs; and 
‘‘(vii) summer programs; and 
‘‘(G) implements the following: 
‘‘(i) The strengthening of the instruc-
tional program of the school for core aca-
demic subjects, by— 
‘‘(I) providing challenging cur-
ricula, raising standards and expecta-
tions, and developing highly effective 
teachers who are skilled in content 
area knowledge, pedagogy, and socio- 
emotional development; 
‘‘(II) strengthening parent, fam-
ily, and community engagement; and 
‘‘(III) establishing practices that 
address all aspects of student achieve-
ment and development, including cog-
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nitive, social, emotional, physical, and 
civic development. 
‘‘(ii) The provision of effective profes-
sional development to assist teachers and 
administrators, 
specialized 
instructional 
support personnel, other staff, and families 
in identifying and meeting the comprehen-
sive needs of students. 
‘‘(iii) Strategies to increase student 
motivation and engagement in learning in 
school and community settings, before, 
during, and after school, and during the 
summer (in order to prevent summer 
learning loss). 
‘‘(iv) The establishment of partner-
ships with organizations that volunteer to 
support enrichment and development ac-
tivities, including organizations such as 
youth sports leagues, and activities such as 
family counseling, housing fairs, or finan-
cial fairs, designed to meet student, family, 
and community needs. 
‘‘(v) The creation of a school climate 
that is safe and supportive. 
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‘‘(vi) Improvement of the coordina-
tion, availability, delivery, and effectiveness 
of integrated services and comprehensive 
supports for children and families. 
‘‘(vii) The integration of academic en-
richment and social services to support the 
development of the whole child, including 
the child’s intellectual, social, emotional, 
and physical development. 
‘‘(viii) The promotion of mutual re-
spect and collaboration. 
‘‘(ix) The enhancement of parent, 
family, caregiver, and community engage-
ment by— 
‘‘(I) using consistent, diverse, 
and culturally competent outreach 
strategies; and 
‘‘(II) supporting family engage-
ment, including adult education and 
family literacy activities, family volun-
teering, and family input in school 
policies, in order to support children’s 
learning. 
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‘‘(x) Increased access to, and im-
proved quality of, early care and education 
programs, when applicable. 
‘‘(xi) The creation of a cultural envi-
ronment that is supportive of postsec-
ondary education and career readiness. 
‘‘(xii) The employment of technology 
to increase student engagement and stu-
dent achievement.’’; 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (37) (as redes-
ignated by paragraph (2)) the following: 
‘‘(38) RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE BASED.—The 
term ‘research and evidence based’ means a model 
that is based on theoretical considerations, reported 
practice, and prior research, and has demonstrated 
success in— 
‘‘(A) improving student achievement or 
student growth; 
‘‘(B) closing achievement gaps; 
‘‘(C) increasing attendance; and 
‘‘(D) in the case of a secondary school, in-
creasing secondary school graduation rates.’’; 
and 
(5) by inserting after paragraph (41) (as redes-
ignated by paragraph (2)) the following: 
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‘‘(42) SPECIALIZED
INSTRUCTIONAL
SUPPORT 
PERSONNEL.—The term ‘specialized instructional 
support personnel’ means school counselors, school 
social workers, school psychologists, and other quali-
fied professional personnel involved in providing as-
sessment, diagnosis, counseling, educational, thera-
peutic, and other necessary corrective or supportive 
services (including related services, as such term is 
defined in section 602 of the Individuals with Dis-
abilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401)) as part of 
a comprehensive program to meet student needs. 
‘‘(43) SPECIALIZED
INSTRUCTIONAL
SUPPORT 
SERVICES.—The term ‘specialized instructional sup-
port services’ means the services provided by special-
ized instructional support personnel, and any other 
corrective or supportive services, to meet student 
needs.’’. 
SEC. 5. USE OF THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS MODEL BY 
SCHOOLS IN NEED OF IMPROVEMENT. 
(a) 
SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
GRANTS.—Section 
1003(g)(9) of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6303(g)(9)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘LOCAL AWARDS.—Each’’ and 
inserting the following: ‘‘LOCAL AWARDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each’’; and 
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(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) COMMUNITY SCHOOLS MODEL.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—A local edu-
cational agency may use funds under this 
subsection to transform a school identified 
for improvement, corrective action, or re-
structuring under section 1116 into a re-
search and evidence based community 
school, in order to— 
‘‘(I) improve student achievement 
in the school; and 
‘‘(II) create incentives to grow 
and sustain community partnerships 
so that the school and the community 
work together to improve student aca-
demic achievement and social and 
emotional well-being. 
‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—A local edu-
cational agency that uses funds under this 
subsection to transform a school identified 
for improvement, corrective action, or re-
structuring under section 1116 into a re-
search and evidence based community 
school shall— 
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‘‘(I) use rigorous, transparent, 
and equitable evaluation systems to 
assess the effectiveness of the imple-
mentation of the community school 
model; 
‘‘(II) provide ongoing, high-qual-
ity professional development to staff 
that— 
‘‘(aa) is aligned with the 
school’s instructional program; 
‘‘(bb) 
facilitates 
effective 
teaching and learning; and 
‘‘(cc) supports the imple-
mentation of school reform strat-
egies; and 
‘‘(III) give the school sufficient 
operational flexibility in programming, 
staffing, budgeting, and scheduling so 
that such school can fully implement a 
comprehensive strategy that is de-
signed to substantially improve stu-
dent achievement, and, if applicable, 
increase the graduation rate at such 
school. 
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‘‘(iii) 
CONTINUATION
OF
ACTIVI-
TIES.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of this subparagraph, in carrying out 
a community school model, a local edu-
cational agency may continue to build on, 
or complete, actions that the local edu-
cational agency has taken in the 3 years 
before the school year in which the local 
educational agency begins to fully imple-
ment the community school model.’’. 
(b) 
SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
PLANS.—Section 
1116(b)(3)(A)(i) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316(b)(3)(A)(i)) is amend-
ed by inserting ‘‘, or the implementation of a research and 
evidence based community school model’’ after ‘‘part F’’. 
(c) CORRECTIVE ACTION.—Section 1116(b)(7)(C)(iv) 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 6316(b)(7)(C)(iv)) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(VII) Transform the school into 
a research and evidence based commu-
nity school.’’. 
(d) ALTERNATE GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS.— 
Section 1116(b)(8)(B) of the Elementary and Secondary 
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Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316(b)(8)(B)) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (vi); 
and 
(2) by inserting after clause (iv) the following: 
‘‘(v) Transforming the school into a 
research and evidence based community 
school.’’. 
SEC. 6. ENCOURAGING COMMUNITY-SCHOOL COORDINA-
TION IN PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION 
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO 
ARE NEGLECTED, DELINQUENT, OR AT-RISK. 
Section 1424(3) of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6454(3)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘education’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘edu-
cation, which may include funding for a community school 
coordinator who will support community schools operating 
within the local educational agency by— 
‘‘(A) coordinating results-focused partner-
ships that support the goals of community 
schools; 
‘‘(B) integrating school and community re-
sources based on individual student needs; 
‘‘(C) engaging families and community 
partners; 
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‘‘(D) mobilizing partners, coordinating re-
sources, and managing site-level programming 
at a community school, including working with 
a lead agency (such as a community-based or-
ganization, institution of higher education, or 
public agency) to provide additional site coordi-
nation; 
‘‘(E) helping align and leverage resources 
and integrate funding streams; and 
‘‘(F) demonstrating, through the use of 
performance indicators, how the community 
school supports the academic, social, emotional, 
physical, and civic development of students and 
the community.’’. 
Æ 
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