Are faith communities the key to closing opportunity gaps in public schools?
A recent collaboration between Wheatley Institute, Harvard Graduate School of Education's Leadership Initiative for Faith & Education (LIFE), and the Grove Collective Foundation resulted in two new reports exploring how constitutionally valid faith and public school partnerships can impact student success.
The collaboration culminated with an Burton and Inglis Lecture held at the Harvard Graduate school of Education on March 25th. The event opened with a performance by The Kuumba Singers of Harvard College, and was followed by Wheatley Religion Initiative Director Paul Lambert's comments on the collaboration. “We’re so grateful to be able to support this report as the Wheatley Institute," Lambert said. Wheatley has long been interested in studying how religious pluralism can strengthen countries.
Irvin L. Scott, Senior Lecturer, and Faculty Director of LIFE shared experiences when his own life had been strengthened by his faith community. He then connected those experiences to the larger purpose of the two new reports, stating “schools thrive when they are connected to communities of many kinds that are invested in the wellbeing of young people.” His research partner, Professor of Teacher Education and Wheatley Affiliated Scholar Bryant Jensen, gave a summary of the report's key findings, remarking "We hope this is the beginning of many fruitful discussions that are research driven.”
Other speakers included:
- Naeem Baig, Imam and Director, Outreach and Interfaith Programs, Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
- Nicole Baker Fulgham, President, The Townsend Collaborative
- Jon Jamison, Team Leader, Serve Team, South Carolina Baptist Convention
- La Tonya Mouzon, Executive Director, ARISE2Read
- Or Rose, Rabbi and Director, Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership, Hebrew College
For more details, watch the event recording here.
Read the Reports:
- Faith in Educational Renewal
- Additional Resources from LIFE and the Grove Collective Foundation: