Cultivating Communities

for Student Success

A supportive community is a place where individuals feel valued, heard, and empowered to thrive, fostering connection and acceptance regardless of background or identity. This community effort, aimed at student success, is exemplified in both rural and urban schools, where school leaders cultivate a community within the school that extends into the larger town or regional community. These communities work together to overcome barriers to student success. Drawing from my personal experience as a high school dropout, it was this sense of community in a Print Shop class, led by a supportive teacher and aided by community-based organizations, that facilitated my graduation and college attendance. In these communities the students feel seen, heard, and valued by the teachers, parents, counselors, administrators, and others, who collectively work to address barriers. Federal programs, such as the ESEA programs are the bridges that connect people to resources that overcome gaps or barriers preventing student success. They are crucial for cultivating communities for student success.

- Jason Miller, NAESPA President-Elect