Community schools have long been recognized as a transformative strategy for advancing equity, deepening engagement, and addressing the holistic needs of students. This mixed- methods study, conducted by the UCLA Center for Community Schooling, in partnership with a large urban district in California, explores the role community schools play in retaining Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC educators—teachers whose presence is vital to student success yet who remain significantly underrepresented in the workforce. Focusing on the district’s first cohort of community schools, the study integrates longitudinal retention data with rich qualitative insights from 27 BIPOC teachers at two school sites deeply rooted in community-based practice.

Suggested Citation

Saunders, M., Yo, J., Grijalva, E., Jimenez, R., & Pina, N., (2025). Community Teaching: “We Need People Like Ourselves in the Community.” Los Angeles: UCLA Center for Community Schooling. https://communityschooling.gseis.ucla.edu/communityteaching