Grants and Projects
Community Schools Initiative
Through the Community Schools Initiative (CSI) grant, we collaborate with neighborhood-based schools using a community schools model to support children, youth, and families. CSI is under the purview of Loyola University Schools Partnership (LUSP), which strategically aligns resources from across the University to support partner schools, by engaging faculty, staff, and students to participate with schools and community organizations.
Projects and initiatives that emerge through the CSI grant, and ongoing relationships, enact social justice by strengthening academics, out-of-school learning, social and cultural enrichment opportunities, health and wellness services, social-emotional support, and family and community engagement activities. The initiative is rooted in the values of mutual benefit, sustainability, and place based engagement.
Early Pride Matters
Adam Kennedy, associate professor of Early Childhood Special Education, has launched the Early Pride Matters website with funding through Loyola's Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Award Program and a $75,000 grant from the Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood. Early Pride Matters is a resource that will help parents and educators build inclusive and affirming early childhood communities. Earlypridematters.org is packed with the insights, tools, and resources for educators to be a change agent in their field and lay the foundation for a more equitable and inclusive future.
Loyola Puentes Fellowship
This five-year project, funded by the US Department of Education, prepares bilingual and bicultural school psychologists to address the critical shortage of school-based mental health service providers in racially/ethnically diverse schools. The grant provides tuition, a stipend, and fees to support Puentes Fellows to earn their Educational Specialist degree (EdS) in school psychology and enter the field to help fill this shortage. Loyola is partnering with three Illinois school districts - Cicero Elementary District 99, Berwyn North Elementary District 98 and Morton High School District 201 - to train Puentes Fellows and to collaborate in school-based mental health tiered systems of support. The project also supports the implementation of a Work Force Development Program (WFDP) in coordination with Youth Crossroads, to introduce youth to careers in school-based mental health and enhance their mental health literacy.
LUC-Noyce Scholars Program
The LUC-Noyce Scholars program, funded by the National Science Foundation, addresses the critical need for recruiting, preparing, and retaining highly effective secondary mathematics and science teachers for Chicago and other high-need school districts across the country. Project research initiatives aim to develop, study and contribute to understandings about best practices in teacher education and professional development marked by diversity, equity, and inclusion
Pandemic Era Schooling
The COVID-19 pandemic brought remarkable changes to life as we know it. In the context of PK-12 schools, students, families, and educators have maneuvered unprecedented challenges while trying to maintain focus on student learning and development. As the rest of the society pushes forward the path toward normalcy, educational stakeholders are left to ponder: What is the new normal of schools and schooling?
When the pandemic began, two Loyola researchers recognized the need to study the experiences of multilingual learners and immigrant-origin youth. Learn more about Pandemic Era Schooling, A Framework to Enhance Future Practices.
Practicing Democracy in Communities
Loyola University Chicago’s School of Education with the support of a 5-year, $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education is working to support civic learning in our neighborhood public schools on Chicago’s northeast side in order to support the development of informed, engaged, passionate citizens who are developing their civic knowledge, skills, dispositions, and habits. Practicing Democracy in Communities (PDC) partners with schools and community organizations in Edgewater, Lake View, Rogers Park, and Uptown. Learn more here.
Pre-service Teacher Research Experience in Biodiversity Studies
With funding from the National Science Foundation, Loyola University Chicago is excited to offer the Pre-service Teacher Research Experience in Biodiversity Studies, a summer research internship opportunity for undergraduate students interested in teaching science or math at the high school level.
Race, Culture, and Health Equity Lab
The Race, Culture, and Health Equity Lab is directed by Krolikowski Endowed Chair, Dr. Matt Miller. The lab is focused on the application of counseling psychology science and practice, local community engagement, and social media to address racism at individual and systemic levels.