New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 6 - PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Chapter 30 - EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Part 15 - COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
Section 6.30.15.7 - DEFINITIONS

A. "Active family and community engagement" means encouraging partnerships with families and community members from diverse backgrounds, including disability experience, to develop and promote a vision for student success, and establishing systems, structures, and supports to engage families and community members from in the decision-making processes regarding students' education through shared leadership.

B. "Annual evaluation" means a written review conducted by the community school coordinator and informed by the site-based leadership team to evaluate the implementation of the community school strategy.

C. "Asset mapping" or "needs and assets assessment" means an assessment of the community's strengths and resources, including organizations, people, partnerships, facilities, funding, and policies.

D. "Collaborative leadership and practices" means building trust with, and leveraging the collective expertise of a community school's stakeholders, including the site-based leadership team and community school coordinator, to develop a shared vision and goals and create participatory practices for distributing responsibilities.

E. "Community-based organization" means a public or private nonprofit organization that provides educational or related services to individuals in the community.

F. "Community school director or manager" means a person who oversees more than three community schools and coordinates implementation of the community school framework across all school sites.

G. "Community school plan" means a written plan that describes how a school will implement a community schools initiative.

H. "Community-wide leadership team" means a formal group that is inclusive and reflective of the community and has cross-sector representation that may include individuals or organizations representing school staff, students or youth, including students or youth with disabilities and their family, family members, business leaders, community members, and representatives from the local school board or governing council, the school district or charter school, teacher unions, nonprofit organizations, special education experts, and local and tribal governments. This group is not based on an individual school and focuses on developing, building, and sustaining a strategic direction for the system of community schools within a single county, municipality, or Tribal jurisdiction.

I. "Culturally and linguistically responsive" means validating and affirming an individual's home culture and language to create connections with other cultures and languages in various social contexts.

J. "Eligible applicant" means a single school, school district, or consortium of schools that has formed a partnership with at least one community-based organization with approval from the governing entity responsible for the local education agency.

K. "Eligible public school" means a public elementary or secondary school that has a student body where at least forty percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-fee lunch pursuant to the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, or has been identified as needing comprehensive or targeted support and improvement under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, or otherwise identified by the state as in need of additional support.

L. "Evidence-based interventions" means a strategy, practice, or program that has been proved effective through formal studies and research in producing positive results and improving outcomes for students.

M. "Expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities" means opportunities that include before-school, after-school, weekend, summer and year-round programs that include and accommodate students with disabilities, and that provide additional academic support, enrichment activities and other programs that may be offered in partnership with community-based organizations to enhance academic learning, social skills, emotional skills, and life skills, and are aligned with the school's curriculum.

N. "Four pillars of community schools" means the four research- and evidence-based strategies and best practices, as provided in Section 22-32-2 NMSA 1978, that support students, families, and communities in ensuring student success, and are required to be part of each community school framework: integrated student supports, expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities, active family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership and practices..

O. "Integrated student supports" means actions or programs implemented to address non-academic and out-of-school barriers to learning through partnerships with social and health service agencies and providers, which may include school-wide positive behavioral supports and interventions, positive discipline practices, restorative practices, school-based or school-linked health care, Medicaid waiver and other case management services, and family stability supports.

P. "Lead partner agency" means the agency that employs the community school coordinator and works collaboratively with the community school coordinator, the school principal, and the site-based leadership team to asses, plan, and carry out the community school framework.

Q. "Site-based leadership team" means an interdisciplinary, school-based leadership team that includes the school principal, the community school coordinator, teachers, other school employees, families, community partners, tribal partners, nonprofit organizations, unions and neighboring community residents that guides collaborative planning, implementation, and oversight.