It has long been my mantra that you can fill the classroom with the greatest teachers and the snazziest technology in the world, but if you don’t have kids that are ready to learn, success is going to be an uphill battle.

This is why improving education is one of the toughest, and most desperate, social problems we face. I’d like to explain why President Obama’s Office of Social Innovation would be wise to adopt the community-schools model, which was created by my organization, the Children’s Aid Society.

The Community School strategy is based on the belief that educating a child’s mind is not enough. Students have a much better chance at success when their entire family is healthy, and they are safe and stimulated. This is accomplished through in-school health care, after-school and summer recreation programs, education programs for parents, mental health and domestic violence interventions and whatever services are necessary for a child to walk into the classroom with an unburdened mind that is ready to learn.

Let me give you an example of why this holistic approach is so vital. Our 20 community schools recently partnered with Helen Keller International, which was kind enough to give free vision screenings to 2,000 elementary school students. 36% the students tested failed their vision screenings.

Now, if a child can’t see the blackboard and struggles to bring the words in his textbooks into focus, it is impossible for that child to realize his academic potential. Teachers get frustrated; parents get frustrated and trust me -- that child is the most frustrated of all. And if a child feels like he’s not good at school, can you blame him for being unmotivated? Now imagine that all it takes to change a child’s destiny is a simple pair of eyeglasses. These are big problems, but they have a simple solution that can be incorporated with huge returns in schools across the country.

In a similar vein, if a child loses 40 days of school a year because of recurrent asthma, you can’t teach around that. Solve the medical problem and you now have a child that arrives at school ready to learn.

The beauty of community schools is that each model is individualized to the needs of its community. In the inner city, health care is among families’ greatest needs. In a more affluent area, after-school enrichment programs that save kids from staring at a TV all afternoon could be the road to improved academic achievement.

US Education Secretary Arne Duncan is aware of the power of the community school model. In fact, experts from The Children’s Aid Society helped Mr. Duncan establish Chicago’s 150 community schools. In his new position, I encourage him to create pathways that allow more school districts to take on this model.

Our schools need to become the heart of our communities. In New York State, legislation is now pending to provide funding for more community schools across the state. This approach doesn’t throw money at the problem -- it throws money at the solution, a solution with a proven track record of producing healthier, happier kids who succeed academically.