Design Principles for Community-Based Settings
Bridging the Science Across the Learning and Development Ecosystem
Priscilla Little, Senior Consultant
During the pandemic, community-based organizations became first responders for many young people and their families as they navigated rapidly shifting realities — staying open for essential workers when schools were closed, checking in with families regularly to ensure basic needs were met, and continuing or strengthening partnerships with schools on everything from space to food delivery to complementary and enriching learning opportunities. At a time of increased disconnection, the adults and young people working in community-based organizations and networks demonstrated not only their nimbleness to respond but also the relationship-driven nature of their approach.
As we enter a new school year during what continue to be rapidly changing times, we must all resist the temptation to go back to business as usual. While K-12 education has long been considered the main setting accountable for learning, science findings tells us that learning and development can happen anywhere there are relationship-rich environments that offer a sense of safety and belonging, challenging content, intentional development of skills and mindsets, and the recognition that each and every young person has their own unique pathway toward thriving.[i]
A robust learning ecosystem is comprised of the many learning and development settings (e.g., homes, classrooms, cafeterias, gyms, playgrounds, clubs, maker spaces, workplaces) throughout the range of community settings (e.g., schools, non-profit community organizations, faith and civic organizations, libraries, recreation centers, businesses).
The notion that learning happens everywhere broadens the definition of the places, spaces, and people that contribute to thriving and shines a spotlight on the role that community-based learning and development settings can and do play in supporting the whole child. The softening of the walls that occurred “when out of school time became all of the time” further pushed families, educators, community practitioners, and learners themselves to adapt and see each other in different ways.
The next few years offer an incredible, unprecedented opportunity for us to build upon this new awareness to position and strengthen the diverse range of community-based organizations and programs that became even more visible during COVID-19. Communities must build forward together — intentionally leveraging the flexibility and complementary assets of these community settings in support learning and development.
Design Principles for Community Based Settings: Putting the Science of Learning and Development into Action aims to do just that.
Written as a companion playbook to Design Principles for Schools: Putting the Science of Learning and Development into Action, our team of authors aims to both describe and elevate the role that community-based settings can and do play in creating optimal conditions for learning and development. Using the Guiding Principles for Whole Child Design as the organizing frame, the community-based settings playbook explores how these five principles are the nonnegotiable starting points for community-based settings, including how these principles are being explicitly used to engage and validate learners who have been marginalized or “othered” by the traditional education system.
Paralleling the Schools playbook, the Community-Based Settings playbook includes:
- an overview of the Guiding Principles for Whole Child Design and individual sections exploring each principle
- framing for how to think about the design principles in the context of the diverse structures and complex array of programs, organizations, and institutions operating in the “community” space including a typology for community-based settings and a comparison between community and the public education system
- a discussion of the power of partnerships to support the promotion of a healthier learning and development ecosystem co-created by young people and adults across family, school, and community settings.
The Playbook is intended to be used by:
- community practitioners who want to bring more intentionality and rigor to their practice
- the many leaders across community settings who want to work together to support community-wide adoption of science-informed practices that support learning, development, and thriving
- K-12 educators who want to explore where different community-based partners are coming from, what their starting points are, and the particular components/ingredients that are part of their design — so that they can draw upon partner expertise in school transformation efforts
Language and frames are important. Examples are important. By developing a Playbook that parallels the one created for school leaders, we aim to accelerate the bridge-building between school and community program leaders who, while sharing the same goals for youth, operate within very different systems that prioritize different approaches to teaching and learning.
Access Design Principles for Community-Based Settings here.
[i] Cantor, P., Osher, D., Berg, J., Steyer, L., & Rose, T. (2018). Malleability, plasticity, and individuality: How children learn and develop in context. Applied Developmental Science, 23(4), 307–337; Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B. & Osher, D. (2019). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. Applied Developmental Science, 24(2), 97–140; Osher, D., Cantor, P., Berg, J., Steyer, L., & Rose, T. (2018). Drivers of human development: How relationships and context shape learning and development. Applied Developmental Science, 24(1), 5–36.
