Promising+commitments?+Exploring+the+diverse+roles+of+higher+education+institutions+in+planned+poverty+reduction+through+the+federal+Promise+Neighborhood+Initiative+policy

Elizabeth Hudson, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Michigan [hudsonel@umich.edu]
 * Promising commitments? Exploring the diverse roles of higher education institutions** **in planned poverty reduction through the federal Promise Neighborhood Initiative policy**



 ** Keywords: ** Comprehensive Community Initiatives, community development, community transformation, Promise Neighborhood Initiative, community transformation

 ** Track: ** Community partnerships and reciprocity

 ** Format: ** Research paper


 * Date & time: ** Friday 10:50-12:00
 * Location: **Salon 12

**Summary:** This study investigates higher education's role in a federally funded comprehensive-community and poverty-reduction program in 21 communities across the United States--the Promise Neighborhood Initiative (PNI). In this program, community organizations, schools, and higher education institutions partner to create a “continuum of solutions” in the nation’s most distressed communities. The investigation is framed through Ostrander's (2004) intellectual rationales to understand how higher education can contribute to the plan for community transformation. The investigation combines descriptive quantitative and thematic qualitative methods to the 1800 pages of PNI application materials about higher education's role in community transformation and poverty reduction. The next steps will compare individual programs to Ostrander’s (2004) rationales in higher education community engagement to draw collective and individual models of partnership in order to better understand higher education communities through poverty reduction and community transformation.This federally program is in its first year with additional years of funding expected. This research can inform models of higher education partnership to service future applicants. Additionally, this research can help understand Higher education institutions’ (HEIs’) diverse involvement in community transformation, the definition of educational opportunity in the U.S.’s highest need areas, and policy possibilities to promote partnership.

**References:** Gilderbloom, J., & Mullins, R. L. (2005). //Promise and betrayal: universities and the battle for sustainable urban neighborhoods.// Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Hudson, E., Glass, C., & Stockmann, D. (2009). //Including Community Voice to Improve Community-Campus Partnerships//. Report published from the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good.

Office of Innovation and Improvement. (May 5, 2010). Overview Information: Promise Neighborhood Initiative. //Federal Register 75//(86), 24671. Retrieved from [].

Stoecker, R. (1999). Are academics irrelevant? Roles for scholars in participatory research. //American Behavioral Scientist// //42//, 840-854.

Stoecker, R., & Tryon, E. A. (2009). //The unheard voices: Community organizations and service learning//. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Strand, K., Marullo, S., Cutforth, N., Stoecker, R., & Donahue, P. (2003). //Community-based research and higher education: Principles and practices.// San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons.

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