Perspectives from the Midwest: University-Assisted Community Schools Engagement

Abstract

Connecting the dots and engaging in community partnerships is nothing new to Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). For decades, IUPUI has played an integral role in supporting urban schools and revitalizing urban communities through authentic collaboration that notably represents university-community engagement on multiple fronts and levels of commitment. A promise to equity education in public schools is evident in authentic approaches to collaboration with community partners that embrace shared leadership supported by community based action research and inquiry-supported practices to strengthen school communities. Through forging powerful community partnerships, IUPUI supports programs and services in community schools, advancing an advocacy and policy agenda that sustains the spirit of community schools throughout the state (Medina, Murtadha, & Grim, 2020). IUPUI has provided school communities professional development and technical assistance focused on the development of community schools through partnerships facilitation and community council development. The university has a history of preparing students to work among K-12 school/university partnerships to address issues in school climate and socialization as impacted by differences in culture and leadership through interdisciplinary understanding (Murtadha-Watts, Belcher, Iverson, & Medina, 1999). This vibrant example of scholars working alongside practitioners in assessing program standards, questioning vexing contradictions, and addressing the pestilence of bias in low-income school communities is what makes this work unique and a model for other urban districts (Medina, Murtadha, & Grim, 2020). A university-assisted community school, by definition, features an anchor university partner that provides a significant and intentional role in implementing the strategy in collaboration with school community stakeholders. Founded on John Dewey’s theory that the neighborhood school functions as the core neighborhood institution, this approach provides comprehensive services, engaging community institutions and groups to solve the immense and complex challenges schools and community confront in a rapidly changing world (Harkavy, Hartley, Hodges & Weeks, 2013). Two decades ago, renowned scholar Joy Dryfoos, citing the work of Penn and the Netter Center, concluded that the work of university faculty and students, along with principals and teachers, can transform the public school into a community center and neighborhood hub. For example, in university-assisted community schools, college student-led youth art projects become attractive murals that decorate hallways, and students and staff perform theatrical events that trace the local history of the community (Dryfoos, 2000). IUPUI’s response to the urgent call for academic achievement gains has centered on community-engaged initiatives and a steadfast commitment to equity education in public schools. Through the university-assisted community school model, the aim has been to foster new and authentic approaches to collaboration with community partners, embracing shared leadership sustained by community-based action research and inquiry-supported practices that strengthen school communities. This article describes the history of university-assisted programs, brief descriptions of example programs and services, and a research strategy that highlights IUPUI’s commitments