Community School Model: United Way, Metro RESA & International Community School

In DeKalb County, International Community School (ICS) serves over 500 students whose families represent 60+ nationalities speaking 31 languages. In 2025, ICS adopted a Community School Model — transforming itself from a traditional school into a neighborhood anchor that weaves together academics, wraparound support, and community resources. This transformation is powered by a three-way collaboration among United Way of Greater Atlanta, Metro RESA (Regional Education Service Agency), and ICS itself.

The approach pushes past the “school walls only” model. Students come into a supportive ecosystem where academic enrichment sits alongside family services, social support, health and behavioral resources, and links to community partners, all coordinated under a unified vision. In their presentation, they described how ICS has long been a microcosm of multicultural promise and challenge. In 2025, they became the first elementary school in Metro Atlanta to launch a formal Community School Model: integrating academic excellence with wraparound services, family supports, and proactive community partnerships.

Through this model students with unmet health or attendance challenges are being connected to childcare, counseling, ESL supports, legal assistance, and after-school programming. Families accessed resource navigators onsite, and community organizations offered classes, workshops, and connection hubs in school facilities. It’s reframed the school as a neighborhood anchor, not just a classroom.

The group also highlighted their metrics for success: improved attendance, reductions in chronic absenteeism, greater family engagement, and stronger academic resilience among multilingual and refugee learners. Their roadmap includes deepening partnerships with civic and nonprofit actors, expanding community use of school spaces, and scaling the model into adjacent schools.

Here’s how each partner contributes:

ICS (the school): Serves as the locus — providing physical space, teacher engagement, parent outreach, and integration of academic programming with external partners.
United Way of Greater Atlanta: Offers fundraising capacity, connections to nonprofits, cross-sector mobilization, and infrastructure support.
Metro RESA: Brings regional educational strategy, training, resource alignment, and coordination among schools, districts, and external providers.

Key components of the model include

Integrated wraparound services — Mental health, nutrition, family support, language services, enrichment, mentoring, and more.
Cross-sector partnerships — Local nonprofits, health providers, social service agencies embedded on site or coordinated.
Parent & community engagement — Engaging families as co-creators in programming and decision-making.
Data-driven coordination — Shared metrics, referral tracking, continuous feedback across partners.

How can others use this model?

Schools or districts can pilot community school models using this collaboration as a playbook.
Nonprofits and service providers can partner to embed services in school settings.
Donors and foundations can underwrite core infrastructure costs (coordinator roles, data systems, wraparound services).
Policymakers and education leaders can explore incentives, funding mechanisms, or policy frameworks that support community schools.

“We were deeply impressed by the community presenters at the first Atlanta Way Day on September 25, 2025. Their projects reflected incredible diversity—from education and mental health to civic engagement and social impact—but all shared a powerful core theme of collaboration to strengthen our community. Atlanta Way 2.0 is thrilled to both shine a light on their work and provide a $1,000 award to support their continued impact. We congratulate each of them on advancing Atlanta’s spirit of collective progress.””

— Britton Edwards, COO, Atlanta Way 2.0

How can I help?

Volunteer as a tutor, mentor, or after-school enrichment provider at ICS

Offer or coordinate wraparound services (e.g. legal clinics, adult education, health fairs) on campus
Advocate with local school systems or funders to adopt community school models

Visit Atlanta Way 2.0 to learn more and discover how you can help shape Atlanta’s next chapter, one act of service at a time.