During the 2020-2021 year, our Center for Policy, Research, and Evaluation (PRE) significantly expanded its portfolio of research projects. These projects further NYU Metro Center and PRE’s goal of making research and evaluation for education that is action-oriented, liberating, accessible, and results in more equitable systems, policies, and practices.

The expansion of this research portfolio has brought in just over three million dollars and brings together NYU Metro Center researchers with scholars from the broader research community including scholars from New York University, University of Michigan, and Community Change–a national organization that builds the power of low-income people, especially people of color, to fight for a society where everyone can thrive–to explore the following topics:

• How a community-based civic leadership initiative for primary caregivers and their children can disrupt power inequities to influence educational systems and institutions.
• The ways in which children learn and thrive when their parents and family members belong to parent leadership and organizing groups. 
• How school districts throughout the U.S. create and implement equitable summer learning plans.

This funding also allows for PRE to support participatory action research for organizations who are a part of a racial equity peer learning and inquiry community so they may continue to develop racial equity indicators and self-evaluate their progress on these indicators, as well as form a community of practice to advance their racial equity work.

We are especially thankful for our funders at the WT Grant Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Wallace Foundation. Their generous support allows us to pursue this important work and we look forward to learning more from these research efforts as we work towards building a more equitable future for students and families who have been historically marginalized in educational spaces. 

Organizational affiliates are an important part of NYU Metro Center’s work as our affiliates are grounded in the community and share a commitment to empowerment and support for those they serve. The collaboration established between these organizations and our work creates a symbiotic relationship that fosters innovation and mutual support. 

Our organizational affiliate Urban Word NYC has been an organizational affiliate of NYU Metro Center for over 15 years. Throughout the years, Urban Word has been a great thought partner and leader in youth-centered support with the primary focus of elevating youth voices as leaders at the intersection of the literary arts and civic engagement.

Urban Word continued its tremendous work and also had many significant accomplishments during 2020-2021.

One of the most notable accomplishments was that Urban Word’s first National Youth Poet Laureate (named in 2017), Amanda Gorman, received national recognition and praise for her performance at President Joe Biden's Inauguration. This moment established Urban Word as a national leader in elevating youth poets that are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social justice.

During this year, Urban Word named the 5th National Youth Poet Laureate who spoke at the Engage Women's Summit alongside State Rep. Victoria Murphy about poetry and activism and their shared Vietnamese-American heritage.

Urban Word hosted several performances and events including an Open Mic at the Brooklyn Bridge Park that featured the 2021 Urban Word NYC Slam Team and a Showcase at Lincoln Center featuring past to present NYC Youth Poet Laureates. The 2020 NYC Youth Poet Laureate, Serena Yang, crafted and performed a poem for the NYC COVID Memorial with the Mayor of NYC and the Philharmonic. They hosted their 22nd Annual NYC Teen Poetry Slam at the Puma NYC Store. Urban Word also hosted their 4th Annual Black Girl Magic Ball virtually honoring Sonia Sanchez, Eve L. Ewing, among others. 

Urban Word also provided programming that centered culturally responsive-sustaining education as well as healing arts practices. This included educator and parent trainings on creating and expanding culturally responsive pedagogical tools. Urban Word also held workshops that focused on providing an outlet for students regarding the mental health issues they were dealing with due to COVID including loss, family struggles, and depression. Urban Word also continued to host programs that allowed students to understand America's legacy of silencing those they oppress, encouraging them to use their words as a way to reclaim their narratives and spread truth. 

In recognition of their continued excellence, Urban Word received the 2021 Marian Macdowell Arts Advocacy Award. To learn more about their free programming and their upcoming events, including the Black Girl Magic Ball, visit www.urbanword.org.