Program Overview

A Program for Positive Change

Community for Learning (CFL) is a comprehensive school reform program developed at Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education (CRHDE) that draws from over two decades of research experience on what makes schools work and what helps students learn, even those students faced with some of the most challenging situations. CFL builds on the strengths of a community by tapping into its diversity and redeploying its resources-especially human resources-so that it can have the most positive impact on children's lives. CFL recognizes that each student has different learning needs that can be met in a variety of educational environments. This comprehensive approach is based on the conviction that children can achieve healthy development and educational success, including those living in high-risk circumstances-they respond to caring adults and a supportive community.

The program builds the capacity of schools and districts to serve each student. It includes school-wide restructuring to encourage shared responsibility, the use of adaptable instructional strategies to meet students' diverse needs, and the development of plans to integrate the school with other educational environments such as the home and community. Because CFL is a broad-based approach with specific implementation guidelines, it can be implemented with success by all types of schools seeking to make significant changes to ensure high academic achievement of students by building on their current school improvement plans.

Research-Based Approach

CFL is a "whole-school" reform program based on a body of research on the influences that school, family, and community have on student learning and educational resilience. This research shows that students' learning is affected by multiple environments in addition to schools, including the workplace, church, home, community organizations, social service agencies, higher learning institutions and others-in short, a community for learning. More important, it identifies the specific factors that make a difference in education.

Elements of the Program

CFL brings together and coordinates practices and policies that have been used in classrooms and schools for years. It reconfigures these ideas to create a coherent program that has a positive effect on student achievement. The program consists of the following elements:

Schoolwide Restructuring

Goal: Support schools, teachers, and administrators to use a coordinated team approach to achieve student success.

Sample Tasks:

• Develop a school plan based on the resources in the school, staff expertise, etc.
• Initiate a data-base staff development program which
• provides an ongoing individually tailored professional
• development and technical assistance program focusing on achieving a high degree of CFL implementation.
• Create a school-wide structure that uses teaming to join
• regular and specialist teachers (e.g., special education, Title I reading) and school administrators to address the individual needs of diverse students.

Goal: Use an inclusive instructional approach designed to meet the learning needs of diverse students.

Sample Tasks:

• Institute a diagnostic prescriptive process for institutional planning and monitoring of school progress. This includes diagnosing learning needs when students enter a new unit of instruction, developing individualized learning plans (prescriptions) for each student, monitoring student progress by checking work and providing feedback, and keeping records to chart student advancement.
• Adopt an instructional process that focuses on achieving high academic standards. This includes adopting a student-centered instructional process that focuses on subject-matter learning, student self direction, and motivation for sustaining learning success. This also includes interactive
• teaching, such as providing on-the-spot instruction, changing prescriptions based on reassessment of student needs, and giving reinforcement and feedback to students as needed. Basic instruction in new tasks and review lessons are given in small groups, individually, or for the whole class. In all instances, teachers employ a range of instructional strategies and motivational techniques.
• Develop a classroom management strategy to support student success. This strategy requires fostering student individual responsibility that is supported by establishing and communicating rules and procedures as well as coordinating with support services and extra personnel resources.
• Design classroom environments that support effective learning. By arranging space and facilities to encourage student movement and organizing instructional materials in a systematic manner for easy access and use, classroom design encourages student independence and individual responsibility.

Goal: Link families and communities to students' learning with an emphasis on shared responsibilities and use of existing resources.

Sample Tasks:

• Develop a systematic plan that strengthens communications among the school, families, and the community.
• Connect health and human services programs as part of a comprehensive system of service delivery that supports healthy development and academic success of the students.
• Link with local libraries, museums, and other cultural and educational institutions to create extended learning environments to enhance student achievement.