A community school specialist

A national and international expert on community school strategy, forming school/university partnerships and trauma response schools.

"Based on Dr. Ferrara's observations, she came up with an excellent training plan that answered questions and problems puzzled those primary school teachers since the beginning of their teaching career."

~Jing Wen:  Associate professor of English at Nanjing University of Finance and Economics.  Cu Confucius Institute for Business at SUNY. 

Specialized Services

Dr. JoAnne Ferrara provides technical assistance in community school implementation and trauma-responsive schooling,  strategies for Whole Child Education, develops site specific needs- assessment, data collection, and analysis. Additional services include workshops, strategic discussion facilitation, in-person and virtual consultation and coaching.

Project highlights

Strategies for Whole Child Education

Strategies for Whole Child Education develops site specific needs- assessment, data collection, and analysis. Staff development includes the community school strategy, trauma -informed practices, culturally responsive pedagogy, and teacher leadership.

Consultation and coaching

Books & Publications

Ferrara and Jacobson go inside community schools across the country to explore the different roles that make this collaborative education reform work. This book provides practitioners, policymakers, family members, youth, and local leaders a greater understanding of the different roles that make up a community school and tools for action. 

Ferrara and Jacobson go inside community schools across the country to explore the different roles that make this collaborative education reform work. This book provides practitioners, policymakers, family members, youth, and local leaders a greater understanding of the different roles that make up a community school and tools for action. 

Exploring Cultural Competence in Professional Development Schools Book Cover

This book examines the ways in which PDSs build cultural competence for various stakeholders including pre-service teachers, classroom teachers, school leaders, college faculty, and K-12 students. Given the increased national attention on the opportunity gap present in underserved marginalized communities across the country, the authors in this series identify a combination of research-based practices and institutional changes that increase student attainment and develop educators’ capacity to serve a range of diverse learners.