Inclusive Place-Making in Spartanburg, SC: Amplifying Latinx Voices through Community-Based Research

In response to a growing local interest in “place-making” work, our team developed and carried out a research project centered on the ideas of inclusive place, community, and health, with a focus on the inclusion of the growing Latinx community in the Spartanburg area. The project is a first step in what we imagine to be a long arc of community-based research and is in response to the desire of community collaborators for better information to inform their decision-making, particularly with regard to inclusion of Latinx residents. The long-term arc of the research will be shaped by ideas from community partners related to inclusivity; thriving and welcoming community spaces; health equity; and food access and is adaptable to a focus on particular areas or demographics within Spartanburg County. The goal of the present phase of research was to generate qualitative data (1) to inform the implementation of upcoming community projects; (2) to be available to community leaders as a complement to existing quantitative data about areas related to the research focus; (3) to inform the scope, design, and methods of other groups interested in doing related research work, including program evaluation or assessment. Our qualitative approach has sought to respect the “Don’t do anything for us without us” imperative for inclusive community work and aims to create a way to include and amplify the voices of those who will be affected by coming community projects, in informing the implementation of those projects

Contextualizing Kindergarten Readiness Data: A Qualitative Research Study of Forest Park Neighborhood in Spartanburg, South Carolina

This project was undertaken as a result of conversations initiated by members of the Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) about the desirability of qualitative data to contextualize quantitative data generated by the use of a validated national instrument in Spartanburg County Schools. SAM is a nonprofit and community movement that facilitates the discussion of shared information and intentional, collaborative, and strategic work by cross-sector partnerships in order to foster high levels of academic attainment for all children in Spartanburg County. As part of data-gathering efforts by SAM, the Early Development Instrument (EDI) was implemented to gather data about kindergarten readiness first in Spartanburg School District 7, then in 2017, across all seven Spartanburg County school districts. The EDI is a validated, population-based measure of early child development in five key domains (physical health, emotional maturity, social competence, language and cognitive skills, and communications skills and general knowledge).1 Kindergarten teachers respond to the questions on the EDI for each child in a kindergarten clas

Contextualizing Kindergarten Readiness Data: A Qualitative Research Study of the Highland Neighborhood in Spartanburg, South Carolina

This project was undertaken as a result of conversations initiated by members of the Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) about the desirability of qualitative data to contextualize quantitative data generated by the use of a validated national instrument in Spartanburg County Schools. SAM is a nonprofit and community movement that facilitates the discussion of shared information and intentional, collaborative, and strategic work by cross-sector partnerships in order to foster high levels of academic attainment for all children in Spartanburg County. As part of data-gathering efforts by SAM, the Early Development Instrument (EDI) was implemented to gather data about kindergarten readiness first in Spartanburg School District 7, then in 2017, across all seven Spartanburg County school districts. The Highland census tract (census tract 208) in Spartanburg, South Carolina, encompasses a neighborhood landscape with distinct residential zones, identities, and dynamics. The Highland landscape at the time of our data collection includes spaces of positivity and neighborhood engagement: public spaces for recreation, like Stewart Park, and community resources like the Bethlehem Center and Thornton Center. It also is comprised of places, like Norris Ridge, Prince Hall, and certain streets, that residents associated with challenges. In some residential zones,such as Norris Ridge, residents enter and leave the neighborhood with frequency. there is a strong element of impermanence and transience, as ne

Out of School Time (OST) for Latinx Youth: A Qualitative Research Study in Spartanburg, South Carolina

This project was undertaken as a result of conversations initiated by staff members in a variety of organizations with initiatives underway to support and improve outcomes for youth in Spartanburg, South Carolina. These organizations include the Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM), Mary Black Foundation (MBF), and public schools. Conversations pointed to the desirability of qualitative data to contextualize quantitative data related to both educational outcomes, particularly college access and attainment, and public health, including mental health and teen pregnancy, with a focus on Latinx youth