University-Assisted Community Schools (2026-2027)

Background 

Public schools in North Carolina experience many challenges related to equitable school experiences and outcomes. In response, the North Carolina Community Schools Coalition was formed as a grassroots effort to transform public schools through the community schools strategy.  

Community schools aim to serve as centers of the community, bringing together academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement to develop innovative curricula and teaching practices based in social justice and local leadership. Premised on a comprehensive asset and needs assessment, strategic planning, continuous improvement science practices, partner engagement and dedicated coordinators, community schools employ culturally sustaining practices and stakeholder leadership to reduce barriers to success and offer school communities a chance for renewal.  

Durham Public Schools (DPS) has embraced community schools as a district strategy. Durham’s diverse cultural traditions, strong neighborhood networks and rich ecosystem of community-based organizations make it uniquely positioned for a thriving community schools movement. Five DPS community schools now function as centralized hubs, coordinating relationships among families, local nonprofits, faith partners, grassroots organizations, health providers and Durham’s universities. These schools model how the community schools strategy can strengthen trust, address material needs, elevate youth and parent leadership and weave together Durham’s historic commitment to justice with present-day innovation.

Local universities are central to this endeavor as part of the University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) model.

Project Description 

Since 2019, this project team has been studying how institutions of higher education (IHE) can better prepare their students for engagement with public schools. Through robust collaboration between Duke University, North Carolina Central University and Durham Technical Community College, the team has been working to establish more equitable and imaginative partnerships between Durham universities and public schools in central North Carolina. By partnering directly with DPS community schools — now key connectors within Durham’s broader educational ecosystem — the team seeks to strengthen the district’s capacity to coordinate community-based organizations and harness the city’s longstanding assets.

To help prospective students understand the range and scale of work typically undertaken, the 2025-2026 research questions are shared below as examples. These do not represent the final questions for 2026-2027, but rather illustrate the types of practice-based inquiries students may engage with:

• Who are the key champions of community schools in Florida and what themes are emphasized to promote state funding?
• What health-related knowledge and skills should secondary students be exposed to in order to support the workforce development pipeline?
• What skills, strategies and lessons do community school coordinators discover as essential for being an effective community schools coordinator?
• What are common factors present for schools that are successfully implementing the community schools strategy across the state?
• How can community school practitioners in North Carolina deepen relationships in distinct regions of the state and implement innovative strategies from across the country?

Team members will focus on sharing these resources with other IHEs and stakeholders through publications, presentations and national site visits. The work of the research collective will further strengthen the development of a regional center, the Southeast Regional Coalition for University-Assisted Community Schools (SRCUACS), designed to deepen the impact of UACS work across the south. 

Anticipated Outputs 

• Policy briefs to support advocacy work for the Public Schools Forum of NC
• Semester-long health careers curriculum for HS students
• Expansion of a pilot program to prepare future community school practitioners
• Development of hybrid statewide professional learning platform
• Publications/presentations

Student Opportunities 

This team will ideally include 2 graduate and 20 undergraduate students, from Duke University, North Carolina Central University and Durham Technical Community College. Interested students may be from such fields as education, sociology, social work, public policy, nursing, psychology, public health, economics and more. Students with assessment and evaluation skills are especially encouraged to apply.  Applicants should also demonstrate a desire to support the holistic needs of public-school communities. 

All students will develop skills in broad areas related to public schools, civic engagement, community-based research, service-learning, social scientific inquiry and oral and written presentation of findings. Students will also have the opportunity to travel to University-Assisted Community School sites across the United States. Throughout the year, students will develop a nuanced understanding of Durham’s history, its culture of activism and the role DPS community schools play as central hubs in advancing equity and fostering deep partnerships across the city.

In Fall 2026, this team will meet on Fridays from 2-5 p.m. 

See the related Data+ project for Summer 2026; there is a separate application process for students who are interested in this optional component.

Timing 

Fall 2026 – Spring 2027

Fall 2026: 

• Contextualize DPS communities
• Analyze prior years’ data
• Conduct national university site visits and interview subject matter experts
• Pilot curriculum modules and data visualization tools for university partners
• Assess pre-service preparation resources
• Research undergraduate student publication opportunities
• Develop spring research agenda

Spring 2027:

• Conduct mixed-methodology research to meet end-of-semester deadlines for respective sub-research teams
• Cohost symposium to highlight best practices for UACS 

Crediting 

Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters