Three North Carolina universities partner to assist public schools

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Three North Carolina Universities, including ECU, have formed a partnership to help provide resources to local schools.

The three universities were selected by the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania to serve as the sixth regional technical training center.

East Carolina University, along with Duke University and North Carolina Central University, have partnered together to launch the Southeast Regional Coalition for University-Assisted Community Schools (SRCUACS) on Wednesday.

According to officials, under the university-assisted community schools (UACS) model, universities serve as the lead partners in providing support for public schools that offer services and support to fit each neighborhood’s needs. UACS operates on four pillars: engaged communities and families, collaborative leadership, enriched and extended learning experiences, and integrated student health support.

This is the first regional center that is anchored by more than one university.

“We can’t begin to prepare public school students to be active learners if we don’t ensure they have their basic human rights met. To meet their basic human rights, we need to think about the university’s resources inside and outside schools of education,” said Alec Greenwald, associate director for strategic and special initiatives to the dean of academic affairs at Duke and an SRCUACS team member.

The Rural Education Institute at ECU has created a University Assisted Community School, UACS, at P. W. Moore Elementary in Elizabeth City.

“At P.W. Moore, our primary focus this first year of the grant is to increase parent and community participation in the school while also addressing sustainability,” said Dr. Amy Swain, teaching assistant professor at ECU and SRCUACS team member. “We have established partnerships with local civic groups, municipal government agencies, the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools’ district administration, Sentara Healthcare, and more than 50 local businesses.”

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