(March 6, 2023) As part of the “Campaign for the Future,” Austin Voices is announcing the launch of a transformational initiative in Northeast Austin called the “Northeast Austin Promise Neighborhood.” Working together with over 40 city, county, AISD, campus, nonprofit and community partners, Promise Neighborhood will bring voices together, problem-solve, create new strategies, grow resources and do “whatever it takes” to expand educational and economic equity in the six neighborhoods and 10 schools that lie within the NAPN. This effort is also part of a longer term plan to expand the equity-based community school model to Title 1 schools across Austin’s Eastern Crescent by 2030.
What are community schools? They are schools that are planned by those closest to the students and the community, including teachers, parents and community partners. They work to provide resources to support needs of students and families. They aim high, making sure that the doors are wide open for all students to be college and career ready. They have open doors to parents, partners and volunteers. They provide stable conditions for teachers and students to be at their best. They are equity-focused, making sure that all students have access to programs and enrichment opportunities, matter their situation. They are schools that reduce barriers, improve conditions and increase opportunities for learning.
Three AISD schools that were on the edge of closure (Northeast ECHS, Eastside ECHS and Webb Middle School) have experienced sustained transformation through this model. Martin Middle School, faced with dwindling enrollment because of gentrification, actually expanded its enrollment by 100 students using the community school approach. A national best practice system of family supports has been developed through Family Resource Centers. No other model, including charter schools, can equal this record in AISD.
Click here for an online version of the Northeast Austin Promise Neighborhood Community Guide.