The Capacity for Accomplishment

Principal Supplement: After-school Learning
January/February 2018

“The capacity for accomplishment” is what Charles Stewart Mott—automotive pioneer, community leader, and philanthropist—called it, and through 90 years of giving, the foundation he started in his adopted hometown of Flint, Michigan, has supported the ideals that mattered most to him: innovation, a just society, and the strength of communities.

In each of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s program areas—Civil Society, Education, Environment, and Flint Area—its goal is “to inspire and empower individuals to work with their communities in ways that will help them achieve more than they could ever accomplish alone.”

Mott’s concern with education, specifically, showed itself publicly when in 1935, he teamed with local educator Frank Manley to create community schools in Flint. Their innovative approach to connecting schools and community became a national model. The Mott Foundation works to increase access to quality educational opportunities for all children—particularly those from low-income families and underserved communities. Then, as now, the Mott Foundation works to increase access to quality educational opportunities for all children.

The objective of this resource guide is to provide applicable examples, outcomes, and insights on the development and implementation of educational programs to support the essential learning that can go on beyond or outside of the school day and classroom, and beyond the traditional school year. The goal is to offer educators and education leaders guidance on tapping into the resources and support of the parent community, business community, and community as a whole, and on understanding how to use data to support the discussion.

Cultivated by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, topics within include combating summer learning loss, the challenges of serving underserved communities, a discussion on how to tackle challenging school transition stages, and other resource suggestions. Working with support from the Mott Foundation, NAESP is proud to offer this publication as an applicable resource that supports successful outcomes resulting from the intertwined connection between community and education.