Francis Gagnon 1,3 Angèle Bilodeau 2 Jean Bélanger 1 Nathalie Lussier 1,3

1. L’innovation dans la collaboration école/communauté Innovation in School-Community Collaboration Francis Gagnon1,3 Angèle Bilodeau2 Jean Bélanger1 Nathalie Lussier1,3 (1) Université du Québec à Montréal(2) Université de Montréal (3) Programme de formation stratégique en recherche en santé publique et en santé des populations

2. Introduction • CONTEXT: There is a call for additional innovation and collaboration between school and communities to: • Mobilize knowledge and resources from a variety of sectors • Respond in a different way to academic failures and health inequalities in underprivileged neighborhoods • RESEARCH QUESTION: Through what arrangements do schools and communities innovate to help children succeed in primary school?

3. Methods (1) • Comparative analysis of two socio-economically underprivileged Montreal communities: • A ‘concerted’* community, that benefits from a program supporting local and collective action • A ‘non-concerted’ community *A concerted community is one with structures through which community members consult each other on planning and collaborate on actions

4. Methods (2) • Data sources: • Individual and group interviews • Eight community partners • Eight school administrations • Thirty-two teachers • Two coordinators of homework help service • Official documents from schools and partners • Conceptual framework: sociology of innovation • Analytical method: Miles and Huberman • Validation of various cases with participants

5. Results • We found 3 models of arrangements: • 1. In the two communities: school/community collaborations in response to basic needs related to health, diet, social work, sports and leisure • 2. In the concerted community: school/community collaborations on academic and family support for homework • 3. In the non-concerted community: collaborations among school staff to offer homework assistance to childrens

6. 1 Arrangements Activated mechanisms School-community network Social/material support Meeting basic needs c Coordination: Information exchange, case referral, access to clientele and to infrastructure Interactions improve access to existing services but do not change practices

7. In concerted community 2 Arrangements Activated mechanisms Children’s Skills: academic, socio-affective, instrumental Parent’s Skills in supervising homework School-community network Community-based interventions for academic coaching of children Support for coaching parents i • Innovation in union of school-community knowledge and resources, and change in practices : • Community organization (CO) services integrated into the school’s educational plan • CO’s knowledge regarding Parents and Community is used by the school and teachers • School support for CO: selection, access to premises, pedagogic advice • CO improves relationship between parents and school

8. In non concerted community 3 Arrangements Activated mechanisms Children’s academic skills Extracurricular parental participation Network of school staff Institutional homework help After-school activities c Coordination: Referral of students to homework help Organization of extracurricular activities

9. Conclusion Of the two communities studied, the concerted community led to actions that are • more synergistic • and cover more determining factors than did the non-concerted community

10. Acknowledgements This research was made possible by the financial support of : • Fonds québécois de recherche sur la société et la culture - Programme des actions concertées (#2003-PRS-94357) as well as by its program of doctoral scholarships. • Programme de formation stratégique en recherche en santé publique et en santé des populations(ISPP-ISPS/ IRSC and Réseau de recherche en santé des populations du Québec).