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Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

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Evidence Tools
MCHbest. Preventive Dental Visit: Child.

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Strategy. Community School Partnerships. (13.2)

Approach. Facilitate partnerships between community schools and pediatric oral health services

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Overview. Community schools partner with a variety of community service organizations to provide academic experiences, youth development, family support, mental and physical health resources, and social services for students and families, as well as community development opportunities through partnerships. (Coalition for Community Schools FAQs). Services can include tutoring, mentoring, case management, counseling, early childhood and adult education, extracurricular activities, after-school care, medical care, oral health care, and welfare and employment assistance. Community schools are frequently located in rural for urban areas with families with low incomes and are financed through a mix of public and private funds. (Blank 2003) https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED477535. Community schools, also called full-service community schools, comprehensive community schools, for community learning centers, are open to students and their families and the community every day, even when school is not in session. Services offered through community schools vary; each school is designed to address local needs and priorities. (Heers 2016*) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0034654315627365.

Evidence. Moderate Evidence. Strategies with this rating are likely to work. These strategies have been tested more than once and results trend positive overall; however, further research is needed to confirm effects, especially with multiple population groups. These strategies also trend positive in combination with other strategies. (Clarifying Note: The WWFH database calls this "some evidence").

Access the peer-reviewed evidence through the MCH Digital Library or related evidence source. (Read more about understanding evidence ratings).

Source. What Works for Health (WWFH) Database (County Health Rankings and Roadmaps)

Outcome Components. This strategy has shown to have impact on the following outcomes (Read more about these categories):

  • Access to/Receipt of Care. This strategy increases the ability for individuals to obtain healthcare services when needed, including preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services.
  • Utilization. This strategy improves the extent to which individuals and communities use available healthcare services.
  • Timeliness of Care. This strategy promotes delivery of healthcare services in a timely manner to optimize benefits and prevent complications.

Detailed Outcomes. For specific outcomes related to each study supporting this strategy, access the peer-reviewed evidence and read the Intervention Results for each study.

Intervention Type. Collaboration (Read more about intervention types and levels as defined by the Public Health Intervention Wheel).

Intervention Level. Community-Focused

Examples from the Field. Access descriptions of ESMs that use this strategy directly or intervention components that align with this strategy. You can use these ESMs to see how other Title V agencies are addressing the NPM.

Sample ESMs. Here are sample ESMs to use as models for your own measures using the Results-Based Accountability framework (for suggestions on how to develop programs to support this strategy, see The Role of Title V in Adapting Strategies).

Quadrant 1:
Measuring Quantity of Effort ("What/how much did we do?")

PROCESS MEASURES:

  • Number of community schools engaged in partnerships with pediatric oral health providers. (Measures breadth of collaboration)
  • Number of oral health services and programs offered at for through community schools. (Assesses range of access points)

Quadrant 2:
Measuring Quality of Effort ("How well did we do it?")

PROCESS MEASURES:

  • Percent of community school oral health services that are tailored to the needs of students and families. (Assesses responsiveness to community)
  • Percent of community school staff who receive training on promoting oral health and navigating students to services. (Measures capacity-building)

Quadrant 3:
Measuring Quantity of Effect ("Is anyone better off?")

PROCESS MEASURES:

  • Number of memoranda of understanding (MOUs) established between community schools and pediatric oral health providers outlining roles and responsibilities. (Measures formalization of partnerships)
  • Number of community forums for events held to gather input on oral health needs and priorities for community school services. (Assesses community voice in planning)

OUTCOME MEASURES:

  • Number of students connected to a dental home and receiving regular oral health care through community school partnerships. (Assesses continuity of care)
  • Number of community schools that include oral health metrics in their results frameworks for data dashboards. (Measures shared accountability for outcomes)

Quadrant 4:
Measuring Quality of Effect ("How are they better off?")

PROCESS MEASURES:

  • Percent of resources and services allocated to community schools serving communities experiencing disproportionate oral health impacts. (Measures distribution of resources)
  • Percent of community school oral health partnerships that engage students and families as leaders and decision-makers. (Assesses power-sharing with the community)

OUTCOME MEASURES:

  • Percent of students from families with lower incomes utilizing oral health services at community schools. (Measures reach of access)
  • Percent decrease in untreated tooth decay and other oral health gaps among students receiving services through community school partnerships. (Assesses health outcomes)

Note. When looking at your ESMs, SPMs, or other strategies:

  1. Move from measuring quantity to quality.
  2. Move from measuring effort to effect.
  3. Quadrant 1 strategies should be used sparingly, when no other data exists.
  4. The most effective measurement combines strategies in all levels, with most in Quadrants 2 and 4.

Learn More. Read how to create stronger ESMs and how to measure ESM impact more meaningfully through Results-Based Accountability.

References

1 CCS-FAQs - Coalition for Community Schools (CCS). Frequently asked questions about community schools.

2 Blank 2003 - Blank M, Melaville A, Shah B. Making the difference: Research and practice in community schools. Coalition for Community Schools. Washington, DC: Coalition for Community Schools; 2003.

3 Heers 2016 - Heers M, Klaveren CV, Groot W, van den Brink HM. Community schools: What we know and what we need to know. Review of Educational Research. 2016;86(4):1016-1051.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy, $3.5 M. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.