About NCCSC

Strengthening public schools through community-driven partnerships that help every child thrive.

 Our Mission          

To create vibrant North Carolina public schools where students, families, educators, and local community members work together to bring the services and resources schools need to ensure that all children thrive.

Power, Promise, & Pride

We envision a future with a strong and flourishing North Carolina public school landscape where every student succeeds, every family is valued, and every community thrives.

Guiding Values

 

  • All of our kids are all of our kids.
    The education, health, and well-being of all children are our collective responsibility.
  • We cannot envision a new future without understanding the past.
     By honoring the vision of those who came before us, we aspire to create a system of education that enables children to realize a promising future.
  • The long work is the right work.
    We are focused on long-term, sustainable system changes, not quick fixes.
  • No one owes us entry.
    We honor the communities with which we partner, inspired by their strengths and guided by what they determine they need.
  • We ignite unprecedented, intentional collaborations between and among systems.
    We co-create structures and systems that can enhance and sustain individual initiatives.
  • Behind every statistic is a story.
    We focus on the humans at the center of our systems. Statistics are the tools used to tell their stories.
  • Adults matter too.
    As we co-create the conditions for students to succeed, we also support the guardians, teachers, and staff upon whom they rely.
  • We believe that change is not just necessary – it is possible.
    We are driven by a vision of schools that are led by and for children and their families, in communities that are pillars of democracy and hubs of resources and pride.

Our Framework

We have adapted the four key pillars of the national, evidence-based Community Schools model to create a responsive framework to strengthen North Carolina’s public schools:  

  •  Collaborative Leadership – Students, families, educators, and partners share decision-making to shape school priorities.
  • Integrated Student Supports – Coordinated access to academic, mental health, and physical health services reduces duplicative efforts and prioritizes needs.
  • Family & Community Engagement – Strong, ongoing relationships between schools, families, and local organizations.
  • Expanded Learning Time – Offering more out of school opportunities before, during and after school.

In each North Carolina Community School, school leaders – students, families, teachers, and staff – work with community leaders – policy makers, business owners, service providers -- to identify each school’s strengths and challenges. Together they build partnerships, identify resources, and bring supports into their school to address students’ needs holistically — academically, physically, and emotionally.

See Our Approach

Our Partners

The North Carolina Community Schools Coalition is a robust network of schools – and the local and statewide partners that support them – collaborating to promote the success and well-being of students, their families, and their larger community.

See the full list of participating schools and partners.