Rev. Andre Allen: Strong Leaders Front the Community Schools Movement

NEW YORK, NY, August 01, 2012

Across the country, a few strong leaders in education are taking a literal approach to the age-old proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child." According to a recent article from The Huffington Post, many superintendents are responding to the varied set of problems their jurisdictions face by implementing a new "community school" model. In short, these schools are designed not only to reinforce education initiatives amongst youth, but also to provide services and direction for families and neighborhoods to become financially stable, safer and more involved. Rev. Andre Allen, a respected pastor has also made vast efforts to improve his community as the former Chairperson of Wheaton's Community Relations Commission, commends the community school movement as a way to build responsible, ethical and educated localities.

Rev. Andre Allen has remained a longtime supporter of education initiatives, and notes that education provides the foundation for future populations that will make even greater contributions to their communities. Although Allen's academic instruction takes a religious form, he is highly involved with bettering his community in all areas, especially those geared towards increasing education and reducing crime rates. The article explains that community schools operate with the same mission in mind; they are designed to keep students more engaged with their studies, stay away from unlawful activities and connect with other members and organizations in their communities.

However, stronger education is not the only goal of community schools - they work to better the entire neighborhood. John Porter, superintendent of the high-poverty Franklin-McKinney School District in San Jose, California, explains in the article how his community worked together to organize an effective model, "We created a governance system that had signs-offs from everybody--the county, city, San Jose State University, the Community College District, probation, the police department, Second Harvest Foods...and we divided our focus into three areas: safe neighborhoods, [student achievement], and adult empowerment. Then, the partners started to co-chair those work teams"

For Rev. Andre Allen, such intensive planning demonstrates that communities can work together to create sustainable environments that benefit everyone involved. Allen concludes, "These are great stories and models of how school districts and communities can work cooperatively together to make a greater impact in the lives of our students. We need more of these kinds of community school-based approaches to establish a common vision which is a win-win situation for our students and our communities."

ABOUT:

Rev. Andre Allen is the Senior Pastor at New Beginnings Ministries Worldwide. Located in Carol Stream, Illinois, he has served in ministry for almost 40 years. He is also the former associate minister of Christ Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois, where he worked for nearly 12 years. Rev. Andre Allen earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Northwestern University and also holds a Master of Divinity from the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. Rev. Andre Allen lives with his wife and has five daughters and twelve grandchildren.

Website: http://reverendandreallen.com/