Implementation Description
Wilmington School of the Arts (WSA) intentionally works to recruit a diverse population of students from local neighborhoods with a high percentage of traditionally underrepresented students. In many of these communities, parents may not be aware of the school's existence. Research shows that students from educationally disadvantaged (ED) backgrounds are far less likely to have access to the resources correlated to academic outcomes, including grade-appropriate assignments, strong instruction, deep engagement, and teachers who hold high expectations (TNTP Reimagine Teaching). WSA is trying to change that by making sure these families have the information necessary to make the best decisions possible for their child(ren). In order to intentionally attract ED students, the school implemented a two-pronged approach. First, the school located and established a relationship in three of the city’s public housing locations. Second, the school utilized funds made available by the NC ACCESS grant to hire a Community Liaison with close ties to the Hispanic community. School leaders began their recruitment efforts on foot in the target neighborhoods, sharing information and conversing with residents. The Community Liaison was particularly helpful in communities with predominantly Spanish-speaking residents, communicating with these families and establishing a level of trust. As a critical member of the WSA team, the Community Liaison continues to be responsible for developing and maintaining these existing partnerships and establishing new partnerships with additional public housing locations.
Prior to COVID, WSA leadership and staff were intentionally present at many events held in the target communities, including a local museum. Canvassing in the neighborhoods provided an opportunity to share information, develop a level of trust and informally offer assistance and support to those families. For example, when the pandemic led to school closures, WSA delivered bags of food and other items to families with food insecurity in these neighborhoods. As these relationships develop over time and the level of trust grows, the goal is to move from an informal to a more formal, ongoing partnership providing afterschool care and similar programming for students in these housing communities.
The COVID lockdown, beginning in March 2020, drove school leadership to shift their marketing efforts from in-person events located in the target communities to digital platforms. In order to garner support from families in diverse communities, WSA’s bilingual Community Liaison ensured that all marketing materials were available in both Spanish and English and that all social media platforms shared information in both languages. At the same time, WSA began an intensive social media initiative to actively interact with the public that included live arts and craft tutorials as well as concerts. During the tutorials, students and families were able to engage in arts-based projects, experiencing hands-on learning typical at WSA, while learning about the school’s mission and vision. Live online concerts were orchestrated by the school’s Cultural Arts Programming Director targeting artists that appeal to young children and providing a variety of cultural and diverse offerings, including highlighting WSA’s focus on cultural inclusivity. The school recognizes the necessity of including culturally diverse community resources in their offerings as it has been shown to lead to the development of a positive sense of racial and ethnic identity for students. In turn, a positive sense of identity has been shown to increase student interest in befriending people from different backgrounds (Rivas-Drake et.al., 2014) and to an increase in self-esteem, academic attitudes, well-being, and the ability to navigate discrimination (Phinney et. al., 1997).
WSA is also reaching into the local community using a commercial they produced and through various marketing events and brochures.
Results
As a result of the targeted focus on communities where ED students reside, WSA’s enrollment did increase, especially in the number of English Language Learner (ELL) students. In the first project year, WSA enrolled 102 students with a goal of 140. Of those currently enrolled 48% are educationally disadvantaged students. The increase in ELL enrollment is attributed to the hiring of a Community Liaison and their work in the city’s public housing. Funding for this position was made possible by the NC ACCESS grant. It also appears that the many hours dedicated to establishing trust and beneficial relationships in the targeted communities is yielding results as parents report deciding to enroll their child(ren) at WSA after hearing about the school from others in the community.
Challenges
The greatest challenge was reaching families in their communities when the COVID pandemic closed schools and cancelled community events. The school was able to successfully shift their marketing focus from community-based events to marketing that was inclusive and interactive. This shift did impact enrollment as many students they are trying to attract may not have easy access to social media and other digital tools.
Future Modifications
In year two of this project, the goal is to once again get out into the community’s low socioeconomic neighborhoods holding more events designed to build trust and share information.
The open house held during the first project year was very successful and will be repeated in the upcoming years.
Critical Components
Getting Started
In-person canvassing of neighborhoods and housing communities was a critical initial marketing and recruitment strategy and required participation from all members of the school’s leadership team. The Community Liaison was essential to this work especially in predominantly Spanish-speaking communities.
Ongoing Supports
There are additional housing communities that the school will target in the upcoming project years. In addition, the Community Liaison will continue to play a critical role in serving the needs of the target communities, especially in the area’s growing Hispanic community.
Equity Connections
In recognition of the challenges in recruiting educationally disadvantaged families and students, especially English Language Learners (ELL), WSA employed a marketing and recruiting plan that targeted specific communities and neighborhoods. To better reach educationally disadvantaged families and students, the school worked with a Community Liaison who was a prominent, well-known presence in the target communities. As demonstrated in the Results section, this effort resulted in a diverse student population comprised of students facing a variety of educational disadvantages.
Research
1) TNTP Reimagine Teaching. (n.d.) The Opportunity Myth. Retrieved from https://opportunitymyth.tntp.org/
2) Rivas-Drake D, Syed M, Umaña-Taylor A, Markstrom C, French S, Schwartz SJ, Lee R; Ethnic and Racial Identity in the 21st Century Study Group. Feeling good, happy, and proud: a meta-analysis of positive ethnic-racial affect and adjustment. Child Dev. 2014 Jan-Feb;85(1):77-102. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12175. PMID: 24490893.
3) Phinney, Jean S., Cindy Lou Cantu, and Dawn A. Kurtz. "Ethnic and American identity as predictors of self-esteem among African American, Latino, and White adolescents." Journal of Youth and adolescence 26, no. 2 (1997): 165-185. https:// www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/american-meamerican-we/201903/identities-arent-going-awaynor-should-they
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