197388 University - Community partnership to expand P-12 access to education

Monday, November 9, 2009

Anne Belcher, PhD RN , School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
Lizann Atkin, BSN-RN , Northwest District Health Offiice, Marion County Health Department Northwest District Health Offiice, Indianapolis, IN
Lindsey Poindexter, BSN-RN , School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
University –Community Partnership to Expand P-12 Access to Education

The presentation will provide information on a unique university – community partnership that focuses on expanding and improving readiness and access to higher education for a Midwestern urban population. Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) was used to establish five sustainable working groups to develop evidence-based action plans that will support students in their journey to be successful in school. The five focus groups in the sample included community partners, citizens, and university representatives with an interest in supporting the social and educational needs of P-12 students. The five groups identified by the community during the assessment phase of the project were: 1) Preparation of Children for School, 2) Support for Students In and Out of School, 3) Help for Students to Succeed Academically, 4) Encourage and Enable Students to Enroll in College, 5) Encourage and Enable Students to Graduate and Enter a Career. Results from the focus groups will be presented along with action plans and strategies to sustain community-university partnerships that will lead to successful outcomes for the student population in an urban setting.

Learning Objectives:
Describe the university-community partnership to support P-12 access to higher education. Demonstrate the effectiveness of community based participatory research in developing strategies to solve the educational and social needs of a midwest urban population. Analyze action plans developed from five structured community focus groups that addressed issues in access to education.

Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Community Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As an associate professor with a doctoral degree I have engaged in community based participatory research (CBPR), presented refereed papers and posters on CBPR and have published articles and book chapters with results from CBPR work.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.