The Challenge
When compared to the School District of Philadelphia as a whole, schools in Eastern North Philadelphia have lower performance scores in math and reading and higher levels of chronically truant students. In 2012, Congreso de Latinos Unidos coordinated a community-wide effort to apply for a federal Promise Neighborhood grant. While the grant application was not selected for funding, the process did reveal that the educational institutions and resources in the community were disconnected and largely inaccessible to parents and students. While numerous programs had the potential to impact the educational success of these children, they lacked coordination and were often overlooked or unknown by the District.
The Project
Through his Emerging Leader Fellowship, Steve Lainez worked with Congreso to convene a coalition of community leaders and key education stakeholders to carry out a community asset mapping project in Eastern North Philadelphia. Steve engaged residents and stakeholders in the community to identify available educational resources, created a bilingual Education Resource Guide, and distributed the guide to key stakeholders, including Congreso staff, the Northeast Treatment Center’s Community Umbrella Agency, and the Kensington EPIC Group.
