Jose' Picart

Recent research has highlighted the benefit of community-based organizations (CBO) for student learning outcomes������������������these contexts aim to center students������������������ voices through writing that tap into out-of-school literacy practices. However, empowering pedagogies in CBOs are often disconnected from universities that prepare aspiring teachers, thus fueling the home-school divide. To bridge this divide, my study aims to investigate The Literacy and Community Initiative, an interdisciplinary project examining youth literacies that addresses the need for improving university-community partnerships particularly among youth who are underserved due to racial, ethnic, and social inequities. By implementing a literacy curriculum that publishes student writing in four youth-serving CBOs, the research design will advance three project goals:1) to improve student literacy 2) to promote student social/emotional development; and 3) to enhance student advocacy and leadership skills. This multiphase, mixed methods design-based study will generate four types of qualitative data: document review, interviews, observations, and qualitative surveys. Using a quasi-experimental design, this project will also investigate how student������������������s participation enhances their social and emotional development measured by changes in self-determination, self-compassion, and self-esteem using psychological scales. The work intends to reveal intersections among universities and communities to develop relevant and meaningful educational practices for youth.

The problem being addressed by this proposal is the fact that certain groups are underrepresented in the geosciences relative to their proportions in the general population. The goals of this proposal are to: 1) increase the enrollment and graduation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Native Pacific Islanders and persons with disabilities in the geosciences at NC State University and 2 ) increase awareness and understanding of the geosciences, increase participation in scientific research in the geosciences, and inspire a life-long commitment to scientific inquiry among historically underrepresented community college students. Our expected outcome is to increase the number of persons from these underrepresented groups graduating with a degree in the geosciences from the current number of less than one per year to five per year. We expect to achieve this outcome through a partnership with Wake Technical Community College and through a combination of research-based recruiting, academic support and administrative streamlining. The proposed plan utilizes an extensive network of recruiting, retention and support activities currently in place at NC State including the Pack Preview, Summer Smart Start, Transition Symposia Programs for Minority Students, Peer Mentor Program, Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity, Undergraduate Research Program, and the Pack Promise Financial Aid program. The proposal is a partnership between the NC State, the largest institution in the NC state system and Wake Tech , a large (enrollment more than 65,000) community college; both institutions are located in Raleigh, NC. There is a long history of collaboration between the partner institutions including a formal articulation agreement that allows students at Wake Technical Community College to transfer to NC State and graduate in four years (The PAC program). There are two target groups at Wake Tech, students who take a geology course and students who participate in the Wake Tech honors program. Wake Tech has a large geology program, teaching over 1100 students per year. This program will target all underrepresented students in these two groups. Although most of those students plan to continue for a four year degrees, few intend to become geosciences majors. This program will attract more of these students to the geology, marine science and atmospheric science degree programs at NC State through a combination of direct recruiting, research experience, enhanced educational support, and mentoring. The entire geology instructional staff and the honors program adviser at Wake Technical Community College will be involved in identifying prospective students. The department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Science Faculty at NC State will provide the research experiences. A comprehensive support system will be employed to help these students succeed; the extensive existing support structure for underrepresented students at NC State will be extended to include the students in this program. Since the vast majority of students at Wake Tech live in the Raleigh area, they will be able to participate in research at NC State without travel or lodging concerns.

The purpose of the proposed project is to support data-driven decision-making in campus K-12 STEM outreach programs, particularly those funded by NSF, by creatively integrating multiple sources of data and feeding this back through a supported learning community on campus, assuring maximum impact on the breadth and depth of the future U.S. STEM workforce. The goals of the proposed project are: ? To provide an innovative network of support and communications among University-based outreach projects, their school system partners, and their participating students and teachers through a full-time coordinator and advisory committee. ? To serve as a model of strategic and synergistic planning and assessment at a time when an unprecedented amounts of interest and resources are being put towards developing a STEM-literate workforce and citizenry. ? To demonstrate tools for data-driven planning and analysis through development of a core outreach evaluation protocol as well as an integrated database of NC State K-12 outreach participants merged with longitudinal data on student and teacher outcomes. ? To broaden knowledge of best K-12 outreach practices and deepen the impact of NC State?s K-12 programs on students? future academic and career choices. ? To broaden participation among underrepresented groups in K-12 STEM outreach activities through integrated publicity and recruiting strategies.

The Advising Corps partners with select institutions of higher education to increase the number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students entering and completing higher education. By placing recent college graduates in underserved high schools as college advisers, the Advising Corps works to provide guidance and encouragement students need to navigate college admissions. Advisers work full-time to help students plan their college searches, complete admissions and financial aid applications, and enroll at schools that will serve them well.

For the purpose of improving the postsecondary success and employment of low-income youth and young adults in the city of Raleigh

Improving the postsecondary completion rate of low-income young adults is essential to advancing our city?s economic vitality. Raleigh and the surrounding community provide extraordinary postsecondary educational opportunities with major research universities, community colleges, women?s colleges, and historically black colleges and universities. Fueled by our high-tech sector, Raleigh has experienced phenomenal population and economic growth in the last 30 years, and this is projected to continue well into the 21st century. Our city is renowned for a superior quality of life, world class higher educational institutions, and a stellar reputation as a hub of economic development, innovation and creativity. However, Raleigh is also a community of haves and have-nots, with the existence of relatively high adult and child poverty rates with concomitant rates of school dropout, low achievement, and high rates of functional illiteracy. The Raleigh/Research Triangle labor market excludes many individuals who do not have the requisite postsecondary credentials to compete aggressively for new and expanding industry jobs. Many of our citizens are left behind for lack of education. Our vision for this project is for all of our citizens to fully realize the promise of our diverse and growing economy.