Spencer Foundation Equitable Civic Engagement Initiative

Focus Areas:

• Equitable civic engagement
• Community-based learning and civic participation
• Understanding how civic, business, and community dimensions affect students' sense of belonging and well-being
• Persistence toward graduation and academic success
• Reducing achievement gaps for students of color
• Creating welcoming spaces and improving education access

Initiative Components

Workshop (November 2023): "Empathetic Design for Equitable Civic Engagement"

• Hosted at Lake Forest College
• Two-day event
• Over 30 ACM faculty and staff from 12 ACM campuses
• Focus on case studies of ACM-funded projects
• Discussion of community-based initiatives demonstrating equitable principles and outcomes

Featured Project Sessions:

• "Mapping Diversity: Understanding What Makes Spaces Welcoming or Unwelcoming" - Collaboration among Grinnell, Lake Forest, and Luther Colleges
• Prison Learning Initiative presentation (Coe College)

Keynote: "Collaborative Community Partnership Research as an Avenue for Civic Engagement" by Mesmin Destin (Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University)

• Evidence-based outcomes highlighting importance of building effective learning environments
• Research on student-of-color achievement gaps and teacher expectations
• Findings on academic success through equitable and aspirational guidance

Research Focus

• Student experiences in physical campus spaces
• Factors affecting sense of belonging by student identity
• Teacher expectations and student outcomes
• Deficit-based vs. aspirational guidance approaches