Widely known through the work of the Harlem Children’s Zone and the federal government’s Promise and Choice Neighborhood programs, geographically specific community engagement initiatives have the potential to positively address the challenges of inequity and injustice within our communities. This webinar will include a presentation of a recent national study and the facilitators’ recent book on place-based community engagement in higher education, followed by an exploration of several of the most salient topics arising from this promising new strategy.

Building on the 2014 “What Went Wrong?” conference, this session offers a framework for analyzing and transcending the wrongness of structures and practices in community-academic research, education, and social action partnerships that limit effective democratic participation of and the distribution of power with those who experience marginalization.

Colleges and universities face the significant challenge to help students from all backgrounds enter and complete college in a timely manner. This webinar will highlight the potential that community engagement offers to increase college completion rates, using specific research studies that have contributed to the growing body of evidence that connects community engagement with student success for all students.