The Promise of University-Assisted Community Schools to Transform American Schooling: A Report From the Field, 1985–2012

Abstract

This article explores the university-assisted community school approach as it has been developed at the University of Pennsylvania with its school and community partners in West Philadelphia since 1985, as well as adapted nationally. The approach is grounded in John Dewey's theory that the neighborhood school can function as the core neighborhood institution that provides comprehensive services, galvanizes other community institutions and groups, and helps solve the myriad problems schools and community confront in a rapidly changing world. Building on Dewey's ideas, the authors argue that all colleges and universities should make solving the problem of the American schooling system a very high institutional priority; their contributions to its solution should count heavily both in assessing their institutional performance (by themselves and others) and be a critical factor when responding to their requests for renewed or increased resources and financial support. Providing concrete examples from over 20 years of work in West Philadelphia, as well as from initiatives across the country, this article explores the potential of developing university-assisted community schools as an effective approach for school reform, pre-Kindergarten through higher education.

Notes

Public schools are not, of course, the only places in the community where learning and social organization occur. Other “learning places” include libraries, museums, private schools, and faith-based organizations. Ideally, all of these places would collaborate.

The college that Franklin envisioned broke radically with the classical tradition and gave instruction entirely in the vernacular language. Instead of imitating English colleges, Franklin theorized, an American college's curriculum, methodology and texts should be appropriate for the education and development of American youth. For a college in Philadelphia to insist on instruction in Latin and Greek and a curriculum dominated by intensive study of classical texts in their original languages, Franklin believed, simply exemplified the disastrous tendency “in mankind [to] an unaccountable prejudice in favor of ancient customs and habitudes, which inclines to a continuance of them after the circumstances, which formerly made them useful, cease to exist” (Reinhold, 1968, p. 224).

For a case study on how one institution, Oregon State University, transformed itself in the face of declining public financial support by focusing on its land grant mission, democratic processes, and community connections, see Ray (2013). The Coalition for Urban Serving Universities powerfully advocates for federal support of public urban research universities based on their significant contributions to the development of the nation's cities and metro regions (http://www.usucoalition.org/). For more general discussion on the challenges of governmental cutbacks, see Newfield (2011).

For further discussion on the history of the University of Pennsylvania's engagement in West Philadelphia, see Hodges and Dubb (2012), Etienne (2012), Netter Center for Community Partnerships (2008), Benson et al. (2007), Rodin (2007), and Maurrasse (2001).

In March 2013, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission voted to close 23 Philadelphia School District schools, one of which was University City High School.

The 23 colleges and universities that were funded are Bates College; Central State University; Clark Atlanta University; Community College of Aurora; Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis; Johnson and Wales University; Lock Haven University; Mercer University, Macon, Ga.; Miami University of Ohio; Morehouse College; New Mexico State University; Regis University; Rhode Island College; Slippery Rock University; Temple University; University of Dayton; University of Denver; University of Kentucky-Lexington Campus; University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; University of New Mexico at Albuquerque; University of Rhode Island; University of Southern Maine-Lewiston/Auburn College; and West Virginia University.

For more information on Nashville Public Schools’ community schools initiative, see http://www.communityschools.org/community_achieves_nashville.aspx.

For Penn data, please see the Promising Findings section in text. For data on other sites, please see Harkavy and Hartley (2009). In particular, see pp. 19 to 40 for information on University at Buffalo, pp. 41 to 60 for Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and pp. 81 to 106 for University of Dayton. For data on Florida International University, see O’Neil (2011–2012).

The recommendations as formulated here are adapted from Harkavy and Hodges (2012).