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Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools News Service

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools has been awarded a $49,422 grant for a research-practice team to continue a study on middle school student engagement. The team is composed of WS/FCS Director of Research and Evaluation Shureka Hargrove, WS/FCS Director of Grants Stephanie Williamson and Dr. Holt Wilson and Elise Robertson from UNC-Greensboro. Wilson is the co-director of UNCG’s Institute for Partnerships in Education (IPiE). 

WS/FCS’s project, titled “Understanding Middle School Student Engagement in WS/FCS,” was selected for funding based on its alignment with the core pillars of Research-Practice Partnerships, including long-term collaboration, educational improvement or equitable transformation, and engagement with research. The study will play a critical role in addressing student engagement within WS/FCS, particularly focusing on minoritized and economically disadvantaged students.

The “Understanding Middle School Student Engagement in WS/FCS” study aligns closely with the district’s strategic plan goals for 2020-2025, which prioritize improving student achievement, access and equity, and climate and safety. By identifying engagement patterns and evaluating the effectiveness of current initiatives, the study aims to provide valuable insights that will guide future strategic planning and policy development within the district.

Utilizing a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study will offer a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing student engagement. The findings are expected to inform the refinement of existing programs and potentially inspire new strategies to better support middle school students.

The North Carolina Practitioner Network (NCPN) was established with the goal of uniting researchers and practitioners to tackle persistent challenges in North Carolina public school units through the use of evidence-based research. WS/FCS is one of 16 districts who were selected to participate in the 2023-24 cohort of the NCPN. Over the past year, the network has provided numerous learning opportunities and is now moving into its next phase: supporting individual teams through sustaining research practice collaborations. This funding is provided through the North Carolina Collaboratory in partnership with the UNC School of Education. 

“This collaboration is a giant step in our united effort to help ensure student success and support learning recovery,” said Stephanie Williamson. “NCPN provides us with an opportunity to bring together practitioners and researchers to address critical challenges we are facing in North Carolina and collaborate with each other to find effective solutions.”

As a testament to the importance of their work, the WS/FCS-UNC Greensboro research-practice team has been invited to present their study at the 2024 AIM Conference “Research Roundtable and Reception” in Raleigh this October. The AIM Conference is expected to attract over 2,000 K-12 practitioners and education partners from across the state, with education-focused members of the General Assembly and their staff also in attendance.