The CommUNITY Schools program, a three-year partnership between local nonprofits Northside Neighborhood House and Helen Ross McNabb Center, serves K-12 students across the county by focusing on whole-child well-being. CommUNITY Schools have a strong focus on student academic success, family advocacy, parental engagement and support for school leadership and teachers, as well as emotional well-being in school communities. For the past two years, Northside Neighborhood House and Helen Ross McNabb Center have received an Impact Grant through our Community Investment process in order to support the CommUNITY Schools program.
Northside Neighborhood House CommUNITY Schools utilize a holistic approach to tailor support, provide opportunities and remove barriers to student learning and family wellness at Red Bank High, Hixson Middle, Soddy Daisy Middle, Sale Creek Middle/High and Red Bank Elementary Schools. This model impacts graduation rates (shift from 2016-17 78% graduation rate at Red Bank High to 2020-21 rate of 87%), behavior (81% decrease in office referrals at Hixson Middle from 2018-19 to 2020-21 school year) and promotion rates (100% at Soddy Daisy Middle for 2020-21).
A new education initiative, called The Good Trouble Bookshelf, started this year as a collaborative effort between the Red Bank Elementary School library and the CommUNITY Schools program. The goal of The Good Trouble Bookshelf was to strengthen the diversity collection at the school, and a reading contest was held to see which classroom could read the most books from their Good Trouble Bookshelf. The CommUNITY School Coordinator was able to build on this momentum and start a reading mentorship program called the “Good Trouble Society,” where 5th graders read with kindergarten students, building student community as well as reading skills.
To read more success stories and learn about the impact made in the Greater Chattanooga community, see our impact report.