Full-Service Community Schools

Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) go beyond traditional education to create a comprehensive support system for students, families, and the community to improve student success and strengthen community ties. FSCS draws on Southeast Alaska’s rich culture and community resources to integrate academics, Tlingit/Haida/Tsimshian cultural knowledge, social services, and family engagement in the school.

Southeast Alaska has 6 FSCS sites (Angoon, Hydaburg, Klukwan, Yakutat and Kaxdigoowu Héen & Sayéik elementary schools in Juneau). Each site is led by an FSCS Coordinator with strong ties to both the school and the community.

AASB Offers Professional Learning and Supports for Full-Service Community Schools in:

• Family Engagement
• Integrating Local Knowledge
• Trauma-Engaged Schools
• Integrated Student Supports

For more information, email fscs@aasb.org.

Integrated Student Supports: At a Full-Service Community School, every student and family is known, understood, and supported from the moment they join the school community. Sites use Strong Start, a welcoming early intake process that honors each family’s strengths, needs and goals and connects students to a wide range of individual and family supports within the school and wider community. FSCS provides family engagement events and services that bring community members into the school.

Extended & Enriched Learning: Full-Service Community Schools focus on teaching that respects different cultures, provides early education, offers culturally based Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math (STEAM) activities, and supports students to develop and reach academic and career goals into and beyond high school through the Bridging to the Future program. Extended and enriched learning focuses on creating school environments where all students can succeed and learn.  

Community & Family Engagement: Full-Service Community Schools are committed to building strong, authentic partnerships between families and schools that help all students thrive. Our community and family engagement work focuses on developing the skills, confidence, and shared understanding needed by both educators and families to work together effectively in support of student learning and long-term success, using approaches such as family advisory committees, community dialogues, and opportunities for community members to share their knowledge with students.

Collaborative Leadership: Full-Service Community Schools sites are dedicated to working collaboratively with school leaders, families, students, and community partners to strengthen the full range of Full-Service Community School activities. Collaborative leadership emphasizes shared decision-making and strong coordination across all levels of the school community. There is a focus on providing opportunities for community members to have meaningful input into district decision-making through structures such as family advisory councils.

Strong Start is the foundation for building relationships between schools and families. Strong Start honors each family’s strengths, needs and goals, and connects incoming students to a wide range of individual and family supports within the school and the community. School staff meet one on one with families and then work as a multidisciplinary team to support their needs.

Bridging to the Future supports students and families for successful middle/high school transitions, as well as college/career planning. School sites are a hub for community support to help students meet their academic and career goals through activities such as career presentations, college/financial aid application support, and homework assistance.