critical place of community development in school transformation: The story of the Vaughn family center and Pacoima urban village, The

Teacher Education Quarterly, Fall 1999 by Oppenheim, Matt

In 1992 the School caught the eye of Connie Dubin from Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP), and Dorothy Fleischer, a social worker with United Way. Dubin and Fleischer were inspired by Gardner's concepts of "integrated services" (1993) in developing a project to bring comprehensive social services to a school site. They began facilitating meetings at the School, listening to what parents had to say. Parents pointed out the tremendous needs in their community-- many houses lacked enough baths and children often went without food, adequate clothing, or medical care. At the same time, parents believed that they had the capacity to help themselves and wanted meaningful support and partnership rather than handouts. When the question arose about hiring family advocates, who would help counsel and advocate for parents, the activist parents were adamant that they should be hired for these positions. They were confident that they knew their community better than outsider professionals.

Late in 1992 a director was hired, and the Vaughn Family Center opened in two converted classrooms (see Figure I for a graphic history of the Vaughn Family Center and emergence of the Pacoima Urban Village). The new director soon created an atmosphere where parents felt safe and supported. She began to nurture their development by encouraging their initiative and providing education programs at the same time that she attracted agency providers to come to the Center.

After a few months, parents were officially hired as family advocates. At the same time a case management system was put in place, where at-risk students were referred to a social worker who worked with a team of teachers, family advocates, and school personnel in providing extensive support for children and their families. Many partner agencies came to the site to offer health screenings and referrals, counseling, cultural and tutoring programs and a wide. array of classes for parents.

The Center became a hub of community involvement, collaboration, and school-related services. Parents and community residents felt at home and increasingly came to volunteer. In the back of the Center was a circular table, where women would share food, make crafts, develop fundraising projects and talk about their lives. The Center was a place for family support and personal transformation, where dreams came true. It was a place where residents and parents who once came in need of help for their children, family counseling, a job or just friendship emerged as decision-makers, program managers, and role models.

Parents began to realize that economic empowerment was a key to lasting change. When owned by people who lived outside the community, businesses continued to offer low quality jobs, and eventually moved to Mexico for cheaper labor, community residents felt vulnerable and victimized, and could not support their children. They began to plan for the "Pacoima Urban Village," a vision for economic self-reliance introduced by organizational psychologist, Key Inaba. In 1994, offices for the Pacoima Urban Village were established in one of the bungalows that were placed at the School after the Northridge earthquake. Soon programs were started for job development and neighborhood beautification. Family advocates who had supported and counseled families at the school were developing jobs, helping ex-gang members, and working on neighborhood beautification projects. In the firstyear of "Job Connections" over one hundred and thirty people obtained jobs. Several outside partners were attracted to join with the Pacoima Urban Village. In 1996 a partnership began with a collaborative of funders: the Los Angeles Urban Funders (LAUF).