On Wednesday, February 12 MassINC and Urban Edge hosted School Centered Neighborhood Development: From Theory to Action to explore how schools and neighborhood partners can work together to advance holistic community development. The morning opened with remarks from Emilio Dorcely, CEO of Urban Edge and Ben Forman, Director of the MassINC Policy Center. Both shared their insights on the importance of building neighborhoods where youth and families can thrive.
Carol Naughton, CEO of the Atlanta-based nonprofit Purpose Built Communities, gave an insightful presentation, titled Prosperity Starts with Place. Her remarks were followed by an engaging panel, moderated by Rob Watson, director of EdRedesign at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The conversation featured thought-provoking insights from Carol Naughton, Kristin McSwain, Director of the Office of Early Childhood for the City of Boston, and Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, CEO of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción. Together, they shared strategies for how schools can support neighborhood development and how neighborhoods can lift up schools in a way that improves outcomes for students, families, and residents of the entire community.
Key Takeaways:
- Schools as community anchors: Schools are not just educational institutions—they are central to neighborhood identity, stability, and opportunity. Investing in school-centered neighborhood development means creating environments where students and families have access to quality housing, safe public spaces, and economic opportunity. Carol Naughton highlighted successful models where schools have driven neighborhood revitalization, emphasizing the importance of community-driven planning for long-term change.
- Cross-sector collaboration is key: Sustainable, school-centered neighborhood development requires intentional partnerships across education, housing, community development, and local government. Kristin McSwain discussed how multi-sector coordination can maximize resources and break down systemic barriers. The panel underscored the importance of shared goals and sustained investment from both public and private entities. Carol Naughton underscored the critical role played by a local community quarterback organization that helps coordinate multiple efforts across different organizations and institutions.
- Lessons from successful initiatives: Vanessa Calderón-Rosado shared insights from local efforts that demonstrate how integrating school improvements with community investments can create lasting change. From expanding wraparound services to developing mixed-income housing near schools, these initiatives show the power of aligning resources to support families holistically. Panelists also discussed challenges, such as navigating multiple funding streams and ensuring community voices lead decision-making processes.
The morning ended with closing remarks from Karley Ausiello, Chief of Community Impact for United Way of Massachusetts Bay.
We intend to continue this conversation across the state by convening local leaders in specific cities and neighborhoods and by driving a statewide conversation about how the state can support these efforts. An Act to Promote School Centered Neighborhood Development was recently filed to support the presence of community schools in Massachusetts. We are also encouraging people to learn more about the impact of this movement across the country by attending Purpose Built Communities’ national conference in Houston, TX starting April 29. You can also learn more by checking out our recent report, the Massachusetts School Centered Neighborhood Development Playbook, which dives deeper into the strategies and case studies to advance the practice.
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Featured speakers
Carol Naughton – CEO, Purpose Built Communities
Carol Naughton is the CEO of Purpose Built Communities Foundation. Purpose Built supports local leaders who are implementing resident-centered, holistic, and cross-sectoral neighborhood revitalization initiatives that create pathways to prosperity for all neighbors.
Previously, Carol served as the executive director of the East Lake Foundation, the nonprofit community quarterback organization shepherding the comprehensive revitalization of the neighborhood. Carol also served as general counsel and deputy executive director of The Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta where she was a key member of the team creating the legal and financial model to develop mixed-income housing. She started her career as a commercial real estate lawyer in private practice in Atlanta.
As a member of several Boards and Advisory Councils, Carol advocates for advancing racial equity and developing healthy communities across the country.
Nationally recognized as a leader in place-based partnerships and community development, Carol’s published works have been featured in the Huffington Post, TEDx Atlanta, and the Federal Reserve of San Francisco and Nonprofit Finance Fund’s book Investing in Results, among others.
Rob Watson – Executive Director, EdRedesign Lab at the Harvard School of Education
Rob Watson is the inaugural Executive Director of the EdRedesign Lab and Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. At EdRedesign, Rob leads an interdisciplinary team who support communities across the U.S. to develop cradle-to-career systems of opportunity.
Additionally, Rob collaborated with leadership in his hometown of Poughkeepsie, NY to launch the Poughkeepsie Children’s Cabinet, a collective impact organization that develops the citywide cradle-to-career agenda for children, youth, and families. Rob is also a co-founder of the Poughkeepsie Service Accelerator (PSA), a place-based service year collaborative that aims to attract and retain local talent to pursue social impact careers in the Mid-Hudson Valley region of New York State.
Vanessa Calderón-Rosado – CEO, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción
Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, Ph.D., is the CEO of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA), a community development corporation dedicated to empowering and engaging individuals and families to improve their lives through high-quality affordable housing, education, and arts programs.
In 2010, she became the first Latina ever to be appointed to the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. In 2014, she was appointed to the City of Boston’s Housing Task Force, where she contributed to shaping housing policies and promoting more equitable access to housing. Vanessa is a founding board member of the Margarita Muñiz Academy, the first dual-language innovation high school in Massachusetts and serves on the board of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) amongst other impact-driven organizations throughout Massachusetts.
Kristin McSwain – Director, Mayor’s Office of Early Childhood, City of Boston
Kristin McSwain leads the Office of Early Childhood as Director and as a Senior Advisor to the Mayor. McSwain brings more than 10 years of experience as the Executive Director of the Boston Opportunity Agenda, working directly with families, educators, and public and private organizations across the Commonwealth to remove systemic barriers for underserved youth.
Prior to joining the Boston Opportunity Agenda, Kristin served as the Chief of Program Operations for the Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent federal agency. As Chief of Program Operations, she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Corporation’s programs, including Senior Corps, Learn and Serve America, AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps State and National. Kristin was appointed the Director of AmeriCorps State and National, the largest of the Corporation’s programs, in August of 2006 and named Chief of Program Operations in October of 2008.
Resources
Presentation: Prosperity Starts with Place
Carol Naughton’s presentation provided a compelling look at how schools can serve as catalysts for holistic neighborhood revitalization. Take a look at the slides to see national examples of successful models where education, housing, and economic development are integrated to create thriving communities.
In the News: Lessons for Boston, from my hometown
MassINC CEO Joe Kriesberg was featured in the Boston Globe reflecting on the efforts in Syracuse’s 15th Ward to rebuild housing, create integrated schools, and address poverty, underscoring the importance of strategic investments in both education and the community for a better future.
The Massachusetts School Centered Neighborhood Development Playbook
Neighborhood vitality and public school performance are closely linked, yet education improvement efforts are generally siloed from planning, housing, and community development. This disconnect has contributed to increasingly high levels of racial and economic segregation in public schools. This report outlines school-centered neighborhood development strategies and tactics that communities can deploy to build more mixed-income neighborhoods and schools.