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Connecting Schools & Communities


Schools and the larger community collaborate in many different ways. In Wisconsin, some of the most common partnerships are listed below.

  • Community schools strengthen both education and the community by bringing community expertise and services into the school;
  • Community education programs offer optional, outside-of-school classes for students and adults; 
  • 21st Century Community Learning Centers are federally-funded before, after, and summer school programs that provide PK-12 students with academic enrichment as well as other programming and services in school or community-based settings; and
  • Education foundations support locally identified needs and goals.

Around Wisconsin, educators and community members often engage in collaborations without an official name. Community partnerships are a key component of efforts such as career and technical education (CTE), four-year-old kindergarten community approaches (4KCA), and service-learning. From work-based learning at a local business to contributing academically or culturally in the classroom, there are many ways communities make valuable contributions to virtually every subject area in our students’ education.