North State Together: Community Schools + Collective Impact

The mission of the North Star Regional Technical Assistance Center (RTAC) is to transform schools across Northern California into thriving community schools that advance outcomes for students, educators, and communities. 

  • Offer supports that are responsive to local needs, intentionally cohesive with existing/related initiatives, timely, and deeply rooted in equity. 
  • Develop a team of community school experts in Northern California to provide technical assistance and advocate for rural needs across the state.
  • Empower and equip schools, community members, students, and local organizations to work collectively towards shared goals.

Who we serve
The North Star RTAC serves all schools across the 13 northernmost counties of California, a vast region spanning over 41,393 square miles. Home to almost a million residents, with a density of 22.5 residents per square mile, this predominantly rural area fosters strong communities and supports over 100 community schools (as of June 2023). The 13 county region includes Butte, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties.

The Team
The North Star RTAC consists of a core team of partners from local County Offices of Education, Partners for Rural Impact, and North State Together. This team works together to provide technical assistance to schools in our region that have received CCSPP funds or are interested in becoming a community school.

North State Together’s Role
North State Together is a regional collective impact, cradle-to-career partnership with over 250 cross-sector organizations working together to increase cradle to career outcomes through local solutions within a regional support framework in rural Northern California. North State Together works closely in 9 of our 13 counties that make up the North Star Regional Technical Assistance Center for community schools and has strong relationships with local schools and community partners. NST is working with other collective impact organizations that are not in the NST footprint (Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte) to ensure alignment and partnership. 

Learn more about North State Together’s role in the North Star Regional Technical Assistance Center for community schools in the short video below.