Strengthening Partnerships between Durham Public Schools and Local Universities (2021-2022)
Since 2019, students, faculty and staff from Duke and North Carolina Central University (NCCU) have worked with Durham Public Schools (DPS) to advance the University-assisted Community Schools model. This model strengthens and empowers public schools by bringing together academics, health and social services, youth development and community engagement under one roof with the support of local universities.
In 2021-2022, the team identified three main areas in which universities can partner with schools to address community needs, including visualizing community data, integrating health services and creating an anti-racist curriculum to train university students to volunteer in public schools in Durham.
In Summer 2021, a related Data+ team created a public online dashboard to foster an asset-based understanding of DPS neighborhoods and solicited feedback by hosting a focus group of school principals.
During the academic year, the health subteam reached out to schools in Durham that served a high number of free and reduced lunches and had limited access to health clinics and learned what priorities the county and the parents of school-aged children had for supporting students’ health.
The curriculum subteam found that public school teachers, university faculty and undergraduate students all felt the need for more volunteer preparation before entering the school environment. The team identified key areas for preparation. including learning and integrating anti-racist practices, learning the history of Durham and the Durham Public School system, and identifying strategies for engaging specifically with the students and families from Durham communities, and worked with stakeholders to develop a curriculum to meet these needs.
Learn more about this project team by viewing their lightning talk at the 2022 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase.
Timing
Fall 2021 – Spring 2022
Team Outputs
How Duke and NCCU Can Better Support Community Schools (2022 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Virtual Showcase)
Strengthening Partnerships Between Durham Public Schools and Local Universities (poster by Jasmine Benner, Amaya Jackson and Melanie Moseley, presented at Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, Duke University, April 13, 2022)
Strengthening Partnerships Between Durham Public Schools and Local Universities (Destiny Baker (NCCU), Alexis Clagon (NCCU) and Jasmine Daniel, lightning talk at Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, Duke University, April 13, 2022)
Visualizing Durham Public Schools Dashboard (Data+)
Videos
University-Assisted Community Schools
Visualizing Durham Public Schools (Data+)
Reflection
This Team in the News
Taking the Bull City by the Horns
Meet the Members of the 2022-2023 Student Advisory Council
This project team was originally part of the Education & Human Development theme of Bass Connections, which ended in 2022. See related teams, Strengthening Partnerships between Durham Public Schools and Local Universities (2022-2023) and Strengthening Partnerships between Durham Public Schools and Local Universities (2020-2021), and Data+ summer project, Visualizing Durham Public School Communities (2022).
Image courtesy of 2019-2020 project team
Team Leaders
- Amy Anderson, Arts & Sciences-Program in Education
- Laura Armstrong, Department of Social Work, North Carolina Central University
- Mirlesna Azor, Director of Nursing Student Services at NCCU
- Xavier Cason, Durham Public Schools Foundation
- Yolanda Dunston, School of Education, North Carolina Central University
- Jamie Eaton, North Carolina Central University
- Alec Greenwald, Arts & Sciences
- Lindsey Miller-Furiness, Duke Office of Civic Engagement
- Quynh-Chi Vo, Duke Office of Durham and Community Affairs
- Charity Sneed Watkins, Department of Social Work, North Carolina Central University
/graduate Team Members
-
Grazina Bielousova, Religion-PHD
-
Kelly Jasiura, Masters of Public Policy
/undergraduate Team Members
-
Destiny Baker, NCCU Student
-
Micah Speed, NCCU Student
-
Melanie Moseley, NCCU Student
-
Deonna Moore, NCCU Student
-
Amaya Jackson, NCCU Student, Psychology (AB), Biology (AB2)
-
Andrew Greene, Public Policy Studies (AB)
-
Bliss Gordon, Economics (BS)
-
Hannah Galdes, Public Policy Studies (AB)
-
Jasmine Daniel, Psychology (AB)
-
Alexis Clagon, NCCU Student
-
Alex Chao, Computer Science (AB)
-
Sabrena Carver-Tchagna, NCCU Student
-
Jasmine Benner, NCCU Student
-
Maya Arora, Public Policy Studies (AB)
/zcommunity Team Members
-
Durham Association of Educators
-
National Education Association
-
Durham Public Schools Foundation
-
Durham Public Schools
-
Community Schools Support Team
-
Bull City Community Schools Partnership