Universities and Public Schools Transform Bull City Classrooms Together

Project Team

Team photo.
The Strengthening Partnerships Between Durham Schools and Local Universities project team

The Durham University-Assisted Community Schools Research Collective is a grassroots effort to support Durham Public Schools in addressing the challenges surrounding equitable school experiences and outcomes. The group envisions community schools as bringing together academics, health and social services, youth development and community engagement under one roof. Duke and North Carolina Central – two local universities – are central to this endeavor as part of the university-assisted community schools model.

Members of the team packing bags of supplies.
The team packs food bags for school children for a service activity at Academic Center for Excellence in Orlando, FL.

A University-Assisted Community School (UACS) is a school in which a university or a group of universities serve as the lead partner(s) in providing broad, sustained support. Academic partnerships connect the university’s and school’s curricula through a common focus on helping to solve local community-identified problems. This approach is designed to simultaneously improve community well-being and advance research, teaching, and learning (K-16+).

The Durham University-Assisted Community Schools Research Collective engages in site visits each year to learn from community school and university-assisted community school initiatives across the country.

Students listen to speakers from University of Central Florida.
The team tours University of Central Florida downtown campus to learn about its partnerships with Florida Community Schools.

Student researchers from Duke University and North Carolina Central University adapt local and national strategies to explore three primary questions:

  1. How can university students and public school communities visualize their school zones through an asset-based framework?
  2. How can we prepare undergraduate students and DPS volunteers to enter public schools with a critical eye toward race, class, and the history of Durham?
  3. How do we develop robust pipeline initiatives for the next generation of community school practitioners?

Learn more about this team and its work by visiting their website.

The curriculum subteam meets during class.
The curriculum subteam works together during class.

Strengthening Partnerships Between Durham Public Schools and Local Universities

Poster by Brianna Spruill, Chloe Decker, Drew Greene, Emily McReynolds, Ifidon Ikharo, Kaylin Hernandez, Kennedy Lightfoot, Marcus Roberts, Alvaro Fernandez Da Ponte, Talia Hayes, Jasmine Benner, Fatoumata Bald, Guadalupe Garcia Hernandez, Angelie Quimbo, Jakarrie Miller, Kyle Maclellan, Nya Williams, Latajah Rogers, Jessica On, Annika Aritimuno, Alec Greenwald, Amy Anderson, Mirlesna Azor-Sterlin, Xavier Cason, Yolanda Dunston, Jamie Eaton, Cara Tsitouris, Jasmine Benner and Amaya Jackson

Research poster.