125. Mobilizing Communities for Schools with Emily Woods

Community schools are a big asset to communities whose schools struggle to meet the needs of all its youth. But it takes time and effort to start to see change. A lot of time and effort.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Emily Woods, the head of education for the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation and long-time policy advocate. She shares what it really looks like to start and grow an effort to grow a community school and how to get policy makers involved.

As a former private school turned public school teacher, Emily saw the disparity that exists between the resources available. But she was able to take her private school knowledge into the public schools, then eventually into advocacy, to really make an impact.

In this episode, she shares how leaders need to shift their thinking about how they address student needs, why your community effort may not work, where the support needs to come from, and more. She even shares a breakdown of action steps to help communities mobilize. Have a notepad handy!

Emily Woods currently serves as Head of Education for the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation. Previously, she taught as Adjunct Lecturer in Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston and was a Boston Public School teacher and Senior Co-Trainer in the BPS New Teacher Development Program. She has a PhD in education policy and leadership from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, an MEd in elementary education from Boston University, and a BA from Bowdoin College. Her research focuses on school districts that have addressed the adoption of community school policy, and her professional focus is on helping urban districts move beyond a site-by-site community school strategy to a citywide, community-owned initiative.

• [2:05] - Where the path began for Emily
• [3:00] - Community school label - what it is and its importance
• [4:13] - How community schools are like smartphones
• [6:59] - Even before pandemic there was big disparity between school types
• [7:50] - Schools can’t exist in a vacuum 
• [8:36] - Elements we need to make school reform sustainable on a big scale
• [11:15] - There are different ways to get things moving 
• [12:05] - We need the right lens and a groundswell
• [12:30] - How data comes into the picture
• [14:35] - Groundswell can only happen if community members are in support of initiative
• [15:01] - How to help communities to mobilize
• [17:52] - Action steps to start with
• [21:00] - Turbo Time
• [23:58] - It takes a long time to start to see change
• [24:35] - Emily’s magic wand
• [26:17] - Maureen’s Takeaways

Links & Resources

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• Joy Dryfoos on Community Schools
• Linda Darling-Hammond
• Jeannie Oakes
• Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep