What happens in impoverished neighborhoods after the bell rings at 3:40 pm? Afterschool activities are making a comeback in poor communities thanks to federal investment in community schools. On State of Opportunity this week, Jennifer Guerra spent time with kids and staff at Mackenzie Elementary and Middle School to learn about the "community school model."
The goal is to keep kids busy with academic and extra-curricular activities that can, hopefully, lead to better academic outcomes. The theory is that you have to focus on the whole child to get the best result.
A coalition of educators, businesses, and social service agencies are coming together in an effort to make community schools a hub for families in neighborhoods littered with closed community centers and cuts to social services.
Says Mackenzie school principal Tracy Carpenter, "You just try to be a beacon in the community that people come to for assistance and for that light. Instead of having the crime seep into you, you try to seep the good into the community."
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