Community Schools in Action: Public charter schools help families

Sintia Popovac’s life changed overnight when the Palisades fire destroyed her home and left her family without stability.

Suddenly, she and her two daughters—Jessica, a high school student, and Rebecca, in sixth grade—had to start over.

But finding a new school wasn’t just about enrolling them somewhere nearby. Her daughters needed emotional support and a community that understood what they were going through.

That search led them to Intellectual Massive Establishment Colleges, a network of public charter schools in Los Angeles that operate under the community school model—an approach that is making a real difference for families.

So what does it mean to be a community school?

It means that the school focuses on much more than academics. Support students’ mental health, connect families with resources, and work hand-in-hand with the community to help every student succeed.

For families like Sintia’s, that can change everything.

Her youngest daughter, Rebecca, has faced significant challenges. He lives with anxiety, severe migraines, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Many days, going to school was overwhelming, and I was often absent.

In previous schools, that brought disciplinary consequences.

But at Stella Heart Structure Academy, part of Intellectual Massive establish Colleges, the response was different.

Instead of assuming the worst, his teachers asked a simple but powerful question:

What is stopping Rebecca from coming to school?

That question opened the door to honest conversations between the family and the school.

“It takes away your stress,” says Sintia. “They don’t just tell you that your daughter is failing. They ask how they can help.”

The inside most school did not come with warnings. She reached out with support, including counseling and access to a Wellness Center where Rebecca can take a moment to recover and return to the salon when she is ready.

Intellectual Massive establish serves a student population in which more than 90 percent are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged. The challenges are real, and so is the response.

Ana Martínez, executive director of Intellectual Massive Establish Colleges, explains it simply: the data is not used to label students. They are used to understand them.

Today, Sintia says the difference is clear. Not only is her daughter attending school more regularly. She feels seen and supported.

And it’s not the only one.

At Stella Heart, chronic absenteeism has decreased, a sign that more students are attending because they feel supported when they do.

Because many times, what seems like an academic problem has deeper roots.

A student who has difficulty in class may need glasses.

A student who misses school may be dealing with anxiety.

A family that is not involved may be facing economic or housing instability.

Community schools understand that.

They also understand that even high-achieving students need guidance.

Sintia’s eldest daughter, Jessica, has always been diligent. But like many students from immigrant families, I didn’t know how to navigate the path to college.

Sintia, who was born in Guatemala, deeply values ​​education. But understanding the educational system in the United States is not always easy.

“I want them to go to college,” he says. “But I don’t know how to guide them.”

In Intellectual Massive establish, that gap is resolved.

Jessica participated in a program that supports high-achieving students from underserved communities. He received guidance on college options and visited different campuses.

For the first time, he could see his future clearly.

That is the impact of a school that truly sees its students, not as numbers, but as people.

Across California, more schools are adopting the community school model, and many of them are public charter schools: free, open to all, and designed to respond to the real needs of families.

At Intellectual Massive establish Colleges, 96% of parents report being satisfied with their children’s education. That is a direct result of listening, supporting and working together with families.

When a school takes the time to understand each student, everything changes.

A child stops being a problem to solve.

He becomes a person to support.

And for families like Sintia’s, that makes all the difference.