ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÊÓ

Oklahoma City’s Crossroads Mall officially shuttered to shoppers in 2017. But over the past decade, local leaders have launched a groundbreaking effort to revitalize the complex as America’s largest community school, where thousands of predominantly low-income students would not just attend class every day but also have access to food, health care, social services and work experiences. 

The $37 million effort is the brainchild of Chris Brewster, founder of the popular Santa Fe South Schools, a charter school network that has already opened classrooms in former big box retail stores that anchor the mall. 

ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÊÓ’s James Fields visited Crossroads this spring to see the work firsthand and to film the progress being made towards raising funds to scale available seats for families across the city.