LACOE Community Schools Initiative: Making a Difference Across Los Angeles County

LACOE Community Schools Initiative: Making a Difference Across Los Angeles County

Fri Jun 06 09:52:00 PDT 2025

During the 2024-25 school year, LACOE's Community Schools Initiative supported over 468 schools across the region in planning or implementing the community schools model.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education's Community Schools Initiative (LACOE CSI) continues to transform education across L.A. County through a community schools model. Through this model, students, families, educators and community members work together to strengthen conditions for student learning and build sustainable support systems rooted in equity, shared decision-making and student well-being.

In the 2024-25 school year, LACOE's Community Schools Initiative has expanded its reach and deepened its impact by supporting over 468 schools across the region in planning or implementing the community schools model. This support has been made possible through California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) investments of over $660 million to schools in L.A. County, which accounts for nearly 24% of all CCSPP grant funding across the state.

LACOE Community Schools Initiative operates through two complementary units that work in tandem to drive positive change: The Greater Los Angeles Regional Transformational Assistance Center (R-TAC) provides collective and individualized support to all current and prospective grantees of the CCSPP. The School-Based Implementation unit works directly with 23 school sites to implement the community schools' framework.

When recent fires affected local communities, LACOE Community Schools staff stepped up to provide direct social-emotional, mental health and basic needs support to school staff, families and students as they returned to the classroom. Alongside Pasadena Unified School District staff, LACOE team members helped create safe, restorative spaces for students and staff, delivered crucial mental health services and connected families to critical resources at school to help them navigate the trauma and stress caused by the wildfires.

Additionally, LACOE Community Schools Initiative staff have been proactive in addressing immigration-related concerns by regularly sharing resources and training sessions with community schools throughout L.A. County. By coordinating such efforts, LACOE has helped ensure that support systems remain accessible, community-centered and responsive to the evolving needs of affected families and school communities.

In 2024, the Greater Los Angeles R-TAC introduced an innovative approach by establishing eight subregions throughout the county based on Service Planning Area boundaries. This strategic grouping of CCSPP grantees has allowed for more individualized and regionally tailored support and resources. It has also created local hubs of community school leaders where they can co-learn and grow with each other.

The 2024-25 school year has seen remarkable engagement, with the Greater Los Angeles R-TAC offering 77 learning opportunities that reached over 3,100 attendees, representing 745 unique individuals, from various school sites and local educational agencies (LEAs). The R-TAC also has engaged in 459 support activities with grantees across L.A. County, including informal on-site and virtual consultation visits.

LACOE's Community Schools Initiative aims to create equitable, inclusive and socially just learning environments for all students and families. By integrating support services, family engagement and collaborative leadership, LACOE's Community Schools Initiative shows how the community schools model can transform education to meet diverse student needs in Los Angeles County.