Building Better Together: Reclaiming Community Partnerships in STEM for Black Youth

• In Event: It Was Never Just About the Grant: The Befores, Durings, and Afters of Educational Justice Work in Times of Grant Cancellation

Abstract

Objective and Purpose

This paper explores how ecosystem-based, cross-sector partnerships can support equitable STEM learning for Black youth, particularly through out-of-school time (OST) collaborations. With the guiding question, “How do you continue partnerships after grant cancellation?” we highlight the importance of relationship-centered STEM education that is grounded in lived histories and community leadership. Too often, STEM partnerships are transactional, driven by short-term funding rather than long-term trust (Allen et al., 2020). In contrast, Evanston’s OST partnerships are rooted in sustained relationships and shared values. These ties not only predated the grant but made the grant possible. It was the strength of these existing relationships that allowed us to quickly mobilize, aligning city funding and current efforts like the eLEAP Scholarship through the Digital Backpack. This platform served as both a communication and collaboration tool that help OST partners coordinate programming centered on Black excellence and offering a shared infrastructure to better understand and support the broader landscape of OST opportunities.



Perspective and Theoretical Framework

I come to this work from the intersection of Black education and STEM, grounded in lived experience, community engagement, and a deep commitment to opportunity and excellence. As an educator, I’ve built spaces where Black students see themselves in STEM. As a community member, I help co-create learning ecosystems that are intergenerational, neighborhood-rooted, and joyful. As a mother, this work is deeply personal—driven by a vision of something better for the next generation. In all these roles, I’ve seen that sustainable partnerships matter most. Our design team’s response to anti-DEI policy shifts wasn’t to forge new ties, but to deepen existing ones. We leaned into grassroots relationships, family leadership, and place-based trust. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (2005), we understand education as shaped by nested systems, including families, schools, and policy. Epstein’s Overlapping Spheres of Influence (2018) shows how coordinated efforts between schools, families, and communities lead to better outcomes. The STEM Learning Ecosystems Framework (Allen et al., 2020) highlights dynamic, place-based strategies and interconnected support systems; all central to our approach.

Data Sources

The study draws from both established and context-specific methods, referencing prior evaluations of STEM networks (Allen et al., 2019), educator preparation gaps (Epstein & Sanders, 2006), and long-term university–community collaborations (Chandran et al., 2022). Primary data includes field notes, transcripts from community conversations, and documentation from local initiatives. Together, these sources provide a layered view of Evanston’s evolving OST ecosystem.



Findings and Significance

Research shows that most educator programs underprepare teachers for authentic partnerships (Epstein & Sanders, 2006), but sustained collaborations improve student outcomes (Allen et al., 2019). Interviews with leaders surfaced rich insights often overlooked. The grant didn’t initiate this work; it affirmed and extended it. Through ongoing co-leadership and resource sharing, even after funding loss, our partnerships endure. It centers Black communities as knowledge producers and offers a model of research grounded in humility, storytelling, and sustained commitment. We call on scholars and practitioners to build with, not for, communities, reframe education as a deeply relational, equity-driven endeavor.

Author

• Arikpo Ekaette Dada, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign