Eric entered high school with an adverse childhood experience (ACEs) survey score of 7, indicating he had endured seven forms of abuse and neglect in the home. Eric’s first trauma occurred at age two. Today, Eric is traumatized and easily triggered by loud talking by a teacher. He, like other students with ACEs, was not going to be able to easily concentrate on studies. Without help for Eric and his family, he would fall through cracks with C, D, and F grades, considered by some school staff as “a student who just didn’t try hard enough.”

What the Eric’s of New Mexico need is access to a school that can acknowledge his challenges and create a learning environment where he has a chance at success. The community school model is one that can transform an under-resourced school into a fully-resourced learning environment with all the services to address adverse childhood experiences, student trauma, and social adversity in the form of lack of access to vital services. The community school model, designed to improve academic achievement, has decades of research to support its implementation and many exist in New Mexico to learn from.

We know that students arrive at school with different challenges that can include growing up in homes where parents struggle due to lack of good paying jobs, substance use disorders, and untreated mental health challenges. The result can be child abuse and neglect leading to students traumatized and ill-equipped to focus on learning. Ignoring our student’s challenges is not the answer.

All the school reforms in the world won’t increase student achievement for our most vulnerable students unless we design a school with the resources to address the root causes of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma. That type of school exists and it’s called a community school, fully-resourced to address both ACEs and social adversity.

The model

Community schools exist in New Mexico and showcase how it supports the entire school community–students, parents, educators, support staff, and all local youth development program staff. There are a number of models that guide the development and functioning of a community school. One model, promoted by the 100% New Mexico initiative is the 100% Community School, it has five components:

1. A full-time community schools director
2. A school-based health center with medical, dental, and mental health care
3. Staff trained as navigators to link students and families to vital services
4. Resourced with sustainable funding to be an academic and community activity center
5. Students and families engaged in service learning and social engagement

We include school-based health care centers, offering medical and mental health care providers, in our 100% model because of epidemic rates of adverse childhood experiences among our student population. These health centers are designed to work in alignment with existing local providers so there’s no duplication of services.

How Community Schools are created

The model starts with a needs assessment, followed by a strategic plan that is community-based with involvement of all stakeholders. Sustainable funding formulas and partners are identified and the return on investment is clearly articulated. The entire school community works together to launch the model at the school.