Critical Conditions

“Leveraging their vast experiences, the authors highlight critical gaps in school and community leadership, notably apparent during crises like COVID. Their analysis emphasizes how Integrated Student Supports, alongside community engagement and crisis management, can tackle challenges like climate change, economic instability, and racial injustice. Illustrated through varied case studies, this holistic approach underscores readiness for delivering high-quality education, often online, amidst extreme adversity.”–Allen Grant, dean, SUNY Potsdam“The authors make a powerful argument for the schools we need now: Schools that prioritize the whole-child. These schools, which offer Integrated Student Supports are not only poised to help children and families during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic but are critical to ensuring that young people and their families receive the support they need all of the time. For anyone who wants to work to support the next generation of youth and families, this book offers lessons and inspiration from school systems across the country to take the next steps forward.”–Jessica Shiller, professor of education, Towson University, and director of the Maryland Center for Community Schools“This insightful book makes a persuasive case for an education system capable of meeting children’s needs inside and outside of school. The authors argue that schools must, in collaboration with local partners, be resourced and empowered to take a broader, more holistic approach to children’s well-being. They marshal data while providing compelling examples, a theoretical framework, and a pathway to realizing their vision. A must-read for anyone seeking to construct a post-COVID, transformed education system that actually prepares all children for success.”–Paul Reville, Francis Keppel Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and former Massachusetts Secretary of Education

Elaine Weiss is an education policy analyst who has conducted research and led advocacy work at the National Academy of Social Insurance, Economic Policy Institute, and Pew Charitable Trusts. She is the coauthor, with Paul Reville, of Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools and Communities Help Students Overcome the Disadvantages of Poverty.

Bruce A. Levine is a clinical professor and director of the Education Policy Program in Drexel University’s School of Education, where he cofounded the online Community Schools Hub. He is actively involved in research initiatives examining the impact of schools providing integrated student supports.

Kimberly M. Sterin is the manager of Research Operations at the Justice-Oriented Youth (JoY) Education Lab housed in the School of Education at Drexel University. She was a public school English teacher for seven years and is a dedicated scholar-advocate whose research interrogates the ways power operates in the politics of education and urban landscapes.