The Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships is collaborating with the Orange Public Schools on the conversion of two low-performing schools into University-Assisted Full-Service Community Schools.
The Orange Community Schools work to align University expertise and resources in a broad community engagement strategy that supports a variety of community-centered initiatives at Rosa Parks and Oakwood Avenue Schools, including high-quality early learning programs; remedial education and enrichment activities; mentoring and youth development programs; and community service and service learning programs.
The Orange Community Schools support special programs that help chronically absent, truant, suspended or expelled students, provide adult education classes and career counseling services, and school-based health clinics to provide health services for children and their families. Under the community school model, public schools function as neighborhood centers, around which local partnerships can be developed. The goal of a university-assisted community school is to engage community-based organizations along with the resources of the entire University (students, faculty, staff and alumni) to implement and sustain services and initiatives centered on a holistic approach to promoting the well-being and development of children, their families and the wider community.
Since 2015, the Orange Community Schools have served close to 6,000 students.
