Representatives from education, government, and nonprofit sectors highlighted collaborative ways to increase students’ success.
The Research Alliance team and community members celebrate at the end of Weaving Stronger Networks of Support.
On June 26, the Research Alliance for New York City Schools at NYU Steinhardt hosted an event to discuss factors outside the classroom that shape students’ educational trajectories, and the importance of collaboration in creating robust pathways to success.
The event, Weaving Stronger Networks of Support, convened thought leaders from academia, public education, nonprofit community organizations, and New York City government to discuss the myriad conditions and experiences that impact how students learn and what they achieve. Much of the Research Alliance’s work has been dedicated to surfacing the reality of these issues, including findings such as
- More than 12 percent of NYC’s elementary students experienced homelessness before the 5th grade.
- Other factors held constant, Black students who grew up in heavily policed neighborhoods were 8 percent less likely to graduate high school than those exposed to low levels of policing.
- Only 27 percent of Latinx students attended a high school offering high levels of advanced course work, compared with 33 percent of Black students and 43 percent of White and Asian students.
Melissa Aviles-Ramos speaks at the event.
“The extraordinary challenges we currently face—from ongoing attacks on and defunding of research, social safety nets, and equity work, to deepening social and political divisions, to the escalating threats facing our newcomer families—demand extraordinary responses that can only come from the kind of coordinated, collaborative, data-informed and community-grounded networks we're here to discuss,” said Cheri Fancsali, executive director of the Research Alliance, in her opening remarks.
The event featured remarks from NYC Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos and Christopher Caruso, managing director, school-age children at Robin Hood Foundation, before Mark Dunetz, president of New Visions for Public Schools and chair of the Research Alliance’s Steering Committee, introduced the panel of experts.
Panel discussion, left to right: Cheri Fancsali, Kathryn Hill, Director of Youth Development at the Office of Safety and Youth Development for NYC Public Schools Joshua Laub, Student Services Manager for Community School District 9 Ryanna Blackburn, Deputy Associate Commissioner for the Department of Homeless Services Darma Diaz, Director of Evaluation for CUNY CARES Cristina Onea, and Project Director of CUNY CARES Hamilton Esteban.
The panel discussion, moderated by Research Alliance Research Director Kathryn Hill, showcased two promising initiatives that strive to provide the multi-level responses required to meet students’ complex needs:
- Every Child and Family is Known is the work of a multi-agency coalition that seeks to create personalized systems of opportunity and support for children and families living in shelters in the Bronx.
- The CUNY CARES program (Comprehensive Access to Resources for Essential Services) connects CUNY students on Bronx campuses to healthcare, mental health, food, and housing services.
“Even in these challenging times, these initiatives give me hope, because they demonstrate what is possible when diverse stakeholders come together with genuine commitment—not transactional relationships—to support our students from all angles,” said Fancsali.
The second half of the event was a reception celebrating James (Jim) Kemple, research professor of teaching and learning and the founding executive director of the Research Alliance, who stepped down from his role in 2023. UC Irvine Professor Richard Arum shared that, under Kemple’s leadership, the Research Alliance became “a model of how applied social science research can provide an anchor to ground public policy and discourse in unsettled times.”
James Kemple speaks about the founding of the Research Alliance.
A number of NYU representatives made toasts to Kemple’s accomplishments, including Elise Cappella, vice provost for university-wide initiatives and and professor of applied psychology; Adriana Villavicencio, former Research Alliance deputy director and assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies; and Pamela Morris-Perez, professor of psychology and social intervention.
“Jim elevates the work of everyone around him; he is brilliant, and makes you feel smarter and clearer as a result of the conversation you just had with him,” said Chelsea Farley, communications director for the Research Alliance, in her opening toast. “It is truly a gift to work with someone who is so consistently interested and engaged and enthusiastic about the efforts we are undertaking as a team.”
Weaving Stronger Networks of Support was made possible through the support of NYU Steinhardt and the NYU Office of the Vice Provost for University-Wide Initiatives and Graduate Education.
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