Learning Communities for School Success Program (CA) Grant

The Learning Communities for School Success Program (CA) aims to support evidence-based, non-punitive programs that help vulnerable students remain in school. Grant funds are allocated for planning, implementation, and evaluation of activities that enhance local educational agency goals. Activities include establishing community schools, improving attendance, implementing restorative practices, and fostering partnerships with community organizations, all designed to reduce absenteeism and support students' social-emotional needs.

Goals
The goals of the LCSSP are to support evidence-based, non-punitive programs and practices aimed at keeping the state’s most vulnerable pupils in school. These programs and practices must complement or enhance the actions and services identified to meet the LEA’s goals as provided in their LCAP, regardless if the LEA is applying alone or part of a consortium.
Funded Activities
An LEA/consortium that receives a grant shall use the grant funds for planning, implementation, and evaluation of activities in support of evidence-based, nonpunitive programs and practices to keep the state’s most vulnerable pupils in school. These activities shall complement or enhance the actions and services identified to meet the LEA’s goals (regardless if the LEA is applying alone or part of a consortium), as identified in its LCAP pursuant to EC sections 47606.5, 52060, or 52066, as applicable.
These activities may include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
Establishing a community school, as defined in EC Section 33435. “Community school” means a public school that participates in a community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public and private partnerships with one or more community partners for the delivery of community services that may be provided at a school site to pupils, families, and community members.Implementing activities or programs to improve attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism, including, but not limited to, early warning systems or early intervention programs.Implementing restorative practices, restorative justice models, or other programs to improve retention rates, reduce suspensions and other school removals, and reduce the referral of pupils to law enforcement agencies.Implementing activities that advance social-emotional learning, positive behavior interventions and supports, culturally responsive practices, and trauma-informed strategies.Establishing partnerships with community-based organizations or other relevant entities to support the implementation of evidence-based, nonpunitive approaches to further the goals of the program.Adding or increasing staff within an LEA whose primary purpose is to address ongoing chronic attendance problems, including, but not necessarily limited to, conducting outreach to families and children currently, or at risk of becoming, chronically truant.Establishing programs or activities addressing significant community-wide crime problem by implementing interventions addressing the negative impact of the high crime rate on students.