University of Alabama students, faculty, staff and community partners attended a morning networking session and an afternoon workshop about working with vulnerable communities on Friday, Oct. 18, presented by Dr. Kellie Mayfield, assistant professor in nutrition at Georgia State University. The sessions were sponsored by the student organization SCOPE (Scholars for Community Outreach Partnership and Engagement), a program within the Center for Community-Based Partnerships.

Mayfield specializes in community-based mixed methods research, focusing on availability of healthy foods. Mayfield, whose Ph.D. is from Michigan State University, collected data on the differences in food availability and its effects on consumers. She partnered with a Flint, Mich. nonprofit that supports residents in growing and accessing healthy food.

Mayfield worked directly with a community group that addresses problems in the Flint food system by increasing information about consumption of healthy food. Her research examined quality and price of available items in local grocery stores.

Of 288 stores in Flint that sell food, 273 were included in Mayfield’s analysis of food access and control in smaller and larger stores. Areas within a three-mile radius were analyzed to present information on how many grocery stores were located in areas without public transportation.

In addition to scarce food resources, Flint residents also struggled with finding clean water. The Flint water crisis of 2014 caused Michigan to declare a state of emergency. Lead and other dangerous metals contaminated the water supply, and tap water in many homes was toxic.

In her study, Mayfield found that residents had little access to healthy food or clean water, leading her to propose a change framework based on women as nutritional gatekeepers in the food environment.

Mayfield’s experience working with African-American communities led to her investigations of “womanism” — as opposed to “feminism,” a term that suggests “white” women. In researching custodial African-American grandmothers, Mayfield found that women play an important role in providing for their families. As custodial grandparents increase and access to healthy food declines, she said, there is much less to share.

Audience members were given time to network with peers to discuss insights into Mayfield’s findings. Students thought of different ways they could apply her strategies to their own research. Mayfield reiterated the importance of critical thinking and reflection, especially when working with vulnerable communities.

One of the faculty members who felt especially motivated by the Mayfield presentation was Dr. Chapman Greer, who teaches business communications in the Culverhouse College of Commerce. “Dr. Mayfield’s presentation was very informative,” she said. “I learned a lot about how we can apply mixed methods to our research.” Greer and her students are researching the possibility of establishing a community hospital in Marion, Ala.

A community education initiative begun with the goal of planting seeds of a college education in students for whom a college degree seemed unlikely will reach some 500 students from underrepresented areas in Alabama in 2019, an increase of almost 25 percent over the year before. Vision Days for the fall semester will be Nov. 5 and 7 and Nov. 12 and 14.

Vision Days, a program of the Division of Community Affairs’ Center for Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP), brings to campus high school students to learn about different majors and extracurricular activities.

Students from 17 high schools will be attending this fall, four more than last year. The University of Alabama is proud to bring back this program for a second year allowing in-state high school students to explore a variety of interests and possible majors.

Begun fall semester 2018, the event attracted 400 9^th-grade students from Alabama’s Black Belt and other underrepresented areas for a total of four days over two consecutive weeks. This year, Vision Days moves to a cohort model, which will allow attendees to return in their sophomore, junior and senior years.

Director of Community Education Andrea Ziegler, who directs Vision Days, said: “Vision Days provides opportunities for students to explore life beyond high school while developing connections within the University. We want to partner with students to help them see that the path to their future includes the university.”

Daniela M. Susnara, CCBP’s program coordinator for community education, added, “Vision Days not only gives students a glimpse of The University of Alabama, but also a vision of their opportunities beyond high school. Our aim is to give them an eye-opening experience by welcoming them to campus and creating relationships.”

Vision Days is composed of three sessions that explore the possibilities of attending UA. Students go on a tour based on their major or college of interest. They are then invited to a table fair with representatives from Early College (which offers high school students college courses), Honors College, the Graduate School, Capstone Center for Student Success, Career Center, student work programs and student organizations. The day concludes with an information session about scholarship opportunities and financial aid.

As an on-campus recruiting initiative, Vision Days is supported by every college on campus, allowing the entire University to make connections with students during Vision Days and to follow up with them through their high school graduation.

Each high school cohort that visits campus will have a different focus. For example, 9^th graders receive an introduction to UA; 10^th graders focus on the Office of Student Life, which includes, housing, recreation and student activities; 11^th graders concentrate on majors, courses and programs of study. In their senior year, Vision Days attendees prepare for the college application process and applying for scholarships.

Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president for the Division of Community Affairs, said, “Vision Days gives students the opportunity to think about their interests and the importance of higher education for their life’s goals. It also helps students make decisions about their high school courses in relation to their intended college major. Vision Days opens eyes to the future.”

Community Affairs got the idea for Vision Days from the annual New Faculty Community Engagement Tour, sponsored annually by CCBP, as well as from an institutional effort to reach more in-state students from traditionally underserved areas.

The Parent Teacher Leadership Academy (PTLA), a partnership between The University of Alabama and five school districts including Tuscaloosa City Schools (TCS) and Tuscaloosa County School System (TCSS), conducted its first session of the 2019–2020 academic year on Sept. 26 at the Bryant Conference Center.

This is the 12^th year of the program, whose purpose is to provide professional and leadership development for parents and teachers through the application of research-based practices that support student achievement by establishing strong family/school partnerships.

The day session consisted of teacher teams from the participating schools. Lynn Evers facilitated the elementary teacher session, and Dr. Liza Wilson of the College of Education facilitated the middle school teacher session. A highlight of the day occurred when last year’s participants shared their projects with this year’s attendees. Teachers from Hillcrest Middle School and Tuscaloosa Magnet Elementary School, respectively, presented their projects “HMS Bootcamp” and “Magnet Math Motivation” from the 2018–2019 PTLA year.

Dr. David Scott, director of professional learning for TCSS, shared with participants about the new platform for each school’s continuous improvement plan. Andrew Maxey, director of special programs for TCS, spoke with the middle school teachers on “Building Accomplished Middle Level Practice.” 

The evening session for parents began as Dr. James E. McLean, executive director of the Center for Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP), welcomed attendees and gave opening remarks. Andrea Ziegler, CCBP director for Community Education, introduced staff and speakers.

To help parents better understand their roles on their PTLA team, Marvin L. Lucas, a member of the Tuscaloosa City Schools Board of Education, conducted a session titled “Parents as Leaders: Building Leaders within Your Schools.” Lucas emphasized the importance of parents participating in their children’s education.

“Where is your heart?” he asked. “Your heart is your child. Now you need to do what you do for your child for other children as well. That’s the reason you came here tonight.”

Karen M. Davis, principal of Hillcrest Middle School, and Preeti Nichani, principal of Tuscaloosa Magnet Elementary School, shared their experiences with PTLA programs. Their session was called “Where Does PLA Fit into the School Puzzle?” In the session, Davis shared her personal experience of how she became a teacher. “I hated math growing up,” she said, “but somehow I began to love math because of the teacher. And because of that, I became a teacher myself. As a principal, I have discovered that the key to any learning is the relationship. I believe that no great learning comes without great relationships.”

Nichani expressed enthusiasm about a project titled “Math In Motion,” in which UA engineering students worked with third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students in Nichani’s school. She said she even had a few boys come to her and say, “‘I like math. I think I’m going to be an engineer one day.’ So just planting the seed in their mind that they like math is huge.”

She also said when parents, educators and administrators come together, everyone benefits, especially the children.

The teams from Hillcrest Middle and Tuscaloosa Magnet Elementary shared their projects again with the parent participants.

Dr. Blake Berryhill, assistant professor of human development and family studies, introduced attendees to the Parent Teacher Leadership Academy assessment process. 

There will be five more sessions this academic year, on Oct. 24, Dec. 5, Jan. 16, Feb. 13 (parents only) and March 12, with graduation on April 14, 2020.