Sosteniendo un canal educacional en la urbanidad americana: Un estudio de caso de Desarrollo Comunitario a través de una alianza con una universidad

• Author: Gloria Gloria Bonilla Santiago
• Position: Rutgers University United States
• Pages: 27-45

Estudios del Desarrollo Social: Cuba y América Latina

www.revflacso.uh.cu

Estudios del Desarrollo Social: Cuba y América Latina

RPNS 2346 ISSN 2308-0132

Vol. 8, No. Especial, 2020

Sustaining an Educational Pipeline in Urban America: A Case Study of

Community Development through University Partnerships

Sosteniendo un canal educacional en la urbanidad americana: Un estudio

de caso de Desarrollo Comunitario a través de una alianza con una

universidad

Gloria Bonilla Santiago, PhD.

Rutgers University

United States

0000-0002-5159-4772 Fecha de enviado: 25/02/2020

gloriab@camden.rutgers.edu Fecha de aprobado: 25/06/2020

ABSTRACT: Building on extensive fieldwork, this research examines a holistic educational

community development approach to serving children and families in a vulnerable urban city,

Camden NJ. This university-school comprehensive community development partnership is informed

by the Community Capitals Framework. This guiding framework of action centers on improving

outcomes for young people and families with limited resources and opportunities to cultivate the

transformation of schools into entire communities where all children experience an excellent

educational system with caring adults in all aspects of their lives. This 25-year study captures best

practices during the building and sustaining of community development efforts, with outcomes

leading to a successful cradle to college and careers pipeline that has strengthened the community

and im proved the quality of life for its young people substantially. Through university collaboration,

oversight, management, and community ownership, the Rutgers/LEAP pipeline provides an

integrated unique model for how to prepare students, train families, build community and remain

sustainable.

KEYWORDS: community development, university partnerships, education, poverty.

RESUMEN: En base a un extenso trabajo de campo, esta investigación examina un enfoque

holístico de desarrollo comunitario educativo para servir a niños y a familias en una ciudad urbana

marginalizada, Camden NJ. Esta alianza de desarrollo comunitario integral entre la Universidad y la

escuela se basa en el Marco de las Capitales Comunitarias. Este marco de acción orientador se

centra en la mejora de los resultados para los jóvenes y las familias con recursos y oportunidades

limitados, con el fin cultivar la transformación de las escuelas en comunidades integrales en las que

todos los niños sean parte de un excelente sistema educativo con adultos que se preocupan por

ellos en todos los aspectos de sus vidas. Este estudio de 25 años de duración recoge las mejores

prácticas durante la construcción e implementación sostenible de los esfuerzos de desarrollo de la

comunidad, con resultados que conducen a una exitosa trayectoria que inicia en la primera infancia y

continua hasta la etapa universitaria de los estudiantes y sus posteriores carreras profesionales.

Esto ha fortalecido la comunidad y mejorado significativamente la calidad de vida de sus jóvenes.

Gracias a la colaboración, la supervisión, la gestión y la apropiación de esta iniciativa por parte de la

comunidad universitaria, el proyecto Rutgers/LEAP ofrece un modelo integrado y único para preparar

a los estudiantes, formar a las familias, construir comunidad y mantener su sostenibilidad.

PALABRAS CLAVE: desarrollo comunitario, educación, pobreza.

28

Sustaining an Educational Pipeline in Urban America: A Case Study of Community Development Through

University Partnerships pp. 27-45

Gloria Bonilla Santiago

Estudios del Desarrollo Social: Cuba y América Latina

RPNS 2346 ISSN 2308-0132 Vol. 8, No. Especial, 2020

The Rutgers-Camden Community Leadership

Center (CLC) has been a catalyst in redefining

the role Rutgers University-Camden plays in

collaborating with the local community in

Camden City, New Jersey. The campus has

become an anchor to launch successful

community development projects that contribute

to neighborhood transformation. The Rutgers

CLC’s work has enhanced these institutional

efforts to improve the economic, social, and

cultural well-being of a now-vibrant Cooper Street

Education Corridor. The CLC strengthened the

collaborative ties with residents and institutions

and has contributed to Rutgers-Camden’s

strategic vision of education, discovery,

engagement and the development of networks of

intellectual capital that reach into the community

and around the globe. This case study captures

and highlights the CLC’s community landmark

project during its 25-year trajectory of building

and sustaining community development efforts

that has led to improved educational outcomes

for children from birth through adulthood and

strengthened social and community capitals

sustaining families and neighborhoods. The

central research question being addressed is

how does a community development initiative

create a school that changes the educational

conditions and sustains and produces high

achieving students in one educational corridor for

25 years?

The successes and gains of the Rutgers-CLC

work in the last 25 years have helped solidify the

neighborhood and university campus as anchors

in transforming and galvanizing community

development efforts. The impact of the work is

evident in residents’ improved quality of life and

the promotion of solidarity and agency, which

have allowed people in Camden to live and work

according to their own meaning and

arrangements. The Camden community with

whom we work has a clear sense of purpose and

participation where residents own their personal

situation and are constantly working to rebuild

and inspire others to pool their knowledge,

talents, aspirations, and political will toward the

sustainable well-being of their community.

Collectively, the Rutgers CLC has accomplished

this by drawing on university-community assets,

resources and pathways.

The guiding theory of action has centered on

the belief that improving outcomes for young

people and families with limited resources and

opportunities necessitates the transformation of

schools into entire communities where all

children can experience an excellent educational

system with caring adults in all areas of their

lives, safe places, a healthy start and healthy

development, and opportunities to learn, grow

and prosper.

The Rutgers CLC’s focus has been on

communities that are in need or struggling to

sustain themselves, whether they are located

regionally or globally. We selected a city

(Camden) and place (Cooper Street) where the

CLC and community could work closely together

collectively to develop and implement meaningful

programs that change people’s lives. The CLC

approach to transformational change is built upon

six pillars: (1) An infant to college educational

continuum; (2) School as the nexus for

community development and transformation (3)

Community wellness and leadership

development, (4) Capacity building training and

experiential learning programs for our college

student population, (5) Research opportunities

for our faculty and graduate students, and (6)

Scaling up of best practices local and globally. A

continuum of education running from early