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1 | Year | Author | Title | Type | Partner | Abstract | Subjects | Online | Poster | Not used: Poster Saved As | Not used:Notable Findings | Not used:Interesting Reflections | Not used: Additional Interesting Reflections | Not used: Additional Interesting Reflections | ||||||||||||||
2 | 2022 | Aisha Carothers ’25, Olivia Silvey ’25, Amna Zeb ’25 | Carrie Saxon Perry Project | Community Action Gateway | Desiree Primus | In 1987, Carrie Saxon Perry was the first African-American woman elected mayor of Hartford–a first for any New England city. She was an outspoken barrier-breaker who brought people together and advocated fiercely for city residents. After her service as Hartford Mayor, Perry became active in the Greater Hartford branch of the N.A.A.C.P. and served as its president from 2004 to 2008. This project focuses on highlighting and preserving her achievements and legacy during her time as mayor. The team conductedcontinued secondary archival research and primary source oral interview collection that explores questions about Mayor Perry’s influences, leadership approach, and lasting impact on the community. | Ora History | https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/perry/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
3 | 2022 | Jules Bourbeau ’25, Jenissa Cortes ’25, Jeremias Vazquez ’25 | The Frog Hollow People’s Oral History Archive | Community Action Gateway | SINA | The Frog Hollow People's Oral History Project began in the Liberal Arts Action Lab in fall 2021. In collaboration with residents and leaders of the Frog Hollow Community, the group assembled a multimedia archive documenting the neighborhood’s lived history, experiences, and public art. This Community Action Gateway group continued gathering content for the archive and put together mock up digital walking tours using two different platforms. | Oral History | https://www.trincoll.edu/cher/blog/cact-spring-2022-presentations/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
4 | 2022 | Mina Arenella ’25, Ava Caudle ’25, Reese San Diego ’25, Shayla Whitaker ’25 | Cultural Humility and Afro-Centric Education | Community Action Gateway | Kamora's Cultural Corner | Kamora asked this group for help with 1) a literature review on the social emotional outcomes for students exposed to an Afro-centric education, accompanied by a written and visual executive summary and 2) written field observations and infographic visual summaries of KCC Cultural Humility Sessions which were held virtually or in-person at Community First School. As an added product, the group also created a double sided color postcard explaining the connections between Afro-centric principles and social emotional principles which Kamora used in workshop sessions at the BOOST Best Out of School Time conference this spring. | Education | https://www.trincoll.edu/cher/blog/cact-spring-2022-presentations/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 2022 | Myrian Ayala ‘25, James Maciel-Andrews ‘25, Jack White ‘25, Anna Grant-Bolton ‘25 | Data as a Tool for Housing Justice | Community Action Gateway | Center for Leadership and Justice | The Center for Leadership and Justice (CLJ) is designing a Housing Campaign to support the implementation of the revised Housing Code that was approved in 2019. The campaign has three main goals: 1) ensure that the language of the CLJ’s approved Housing Code proposal has not been altered drastically since its adoption in 2019; 2) verify that the recently amended Housing Code is actively and accurately implemented citywide; and 3) establish and maintain a reliable system of citizen-led housing accountability. Therefore, as students from the Community Action Gateway Program at Trinity College, we are thrilled to collaborate with the CLJ to provide research and communications products that contribute to the campaign’s second goal listed above. | Housing | https://www.trincoll.edu/cher/blog/clj-housing-justice/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
6 | 2022 | Abby Nick '24 | The Benefits of Guaranteed Basic Income: Lessons from Advocates | Community Learning Research Fellows | Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Advocacy Fund | Dozens of US cities, including Hartford, Connecticut, have begun to experiment with Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) programs as a solution to generational poverty and racial inequality. Most GBI programs operate by giving citizens monthly cash payments with no strings attached to spend as they see fit. This cash flow helps recipients meet basic living costs, increase opportunities, and better their quality of life. The Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Advocacy Fund (CWEALF) is focusing on GBI programs because they help create an equitable society for all, especially the underserved or marginalized. CWEALF hopes to advocate for statewide GBI programs to combat the high levels of income inequality and racial poverty that exist throughout Connecticut. CWEALF invited me to partner with them to answer two research questions: What lessons have advocates learned in similar settings that may help CWEALF with supporting similar programs in CT? What have recent initiatives for guaranteed or universal basic income in the US shown about the outcomes of women’s opportunity to accumulate wealth, improve family health, and reduce reliance on other governmental programs? | Human Rights | https://www.trincoll.edu/cher/blog/abby-nick-cwealf/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
7 | 2022 | Katie Cerulle '22 | Access to Gender-Inclusive Children’s Picture Books in Public Libraries | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Public Library | My Educational Studies senior research project demonstrated that there is still a disparity in the amount of content available in public libraries that features strong female characters. In order to address this issue, I decided to return to the Hartford and West Hartford libraries to collaborate on this semester-long project. My research questions for this project were: How do public libraries perceive the gendered content in their collection? How do they respond to my study? | Education | https://www.trincoll.edu/cher/blog/cerulle-gender-inclusive/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
8 | 2022 | Alberlis Hernandez '23 | Visualizing Referral Trends with the CT Office of Early Childhood | Communtiy Learning Research Fellows | CT Office of Early Childhood | Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) supports families, providers, teachers, and other professionals who are raising or who work with young children. They collect data regarding the programs they offer and the families they serve. The data they collect and report is publicly available on their website, but it is difficult to understand and interpret data trends over time with its current format. This means that OEC can improve how they compile data in a way where it is most meaningful. There is a need for data visualization where OEC can use their data to actively drive decisions, specifically for their 2-1-1 and Child Development Infoline (CDI) referral services. | Education | https://www.trincoll.edu/cher/blog/alberlis-hernandez-ctoec/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
9 | 2022 | Sulemaan Khalid ‘23 and Jane Dunbar ‘23 | Are Hartford’s Out-of-State Landlords More Likely to Receive Housing Code Complaints? | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Land Bank | This team worked with the Hartford Land Bank to investigate who owns Hartford residential property, and how these landlords vary by place of business and housing code complaints. | Housing | https://www.trincoll.edu/cher/blog/khalid-dunbar-hartford-land-bank/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
10 | 2022 | Emma Hersom '24 | Incarceration and the Right to Vote: An International Comparative Study | Community Learning Research Fellows | Full Citizens Coalition | The Full Citizens Coalition asked me to examine the roots of how this problem arose, why CT voting laws for incarcerated people differ from Maine and Vermont, and how/why the United States has so drastically diverged from other progressive but historically problematic, similar nations. Answering these questions required looking at a wide variety of sources: book chapters, podcasts, websites, state databases for legislative history, videos, news articles, and more (see bibliography for a comprehensive list). Crucially, this research highlights the racial roots of US federal and state visions of what voting rights should be, and the alternatives to that, as modeled throughout other nations. | Human Rights | https://www.trincoll.edu/cher/blog/emma-hersom-incarceration/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
11 | 2022 | Sam Burg '24, Xaiver Mercado '24, June Decker, Ellie Ryan '25 | Housing and Environmental Justice | Liberal Arts Action Lab | CT Fair Housing Center | Our research project focused on the relationship between environmental justice and housing, specifically the connection between lead poisoning and redlining in Hartford. In what neighborhoods in Hartford is lead poisoning still an issue? How does the presence of lead within these neighborhoods correlate with redlining and historic zoning policies? Why is lead poisoning still an issue in the city of Hartford? | Housing | https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c78f29da28b245cbbceff611d2b65d7b | ||||||||||||||||||||
12 | 2022 | Isabelle Sayas '23, Natalie Oloughlin '24, Celina Figueroa, Jenna Brustad '25 | COVID-19 and Community Health Perspectives | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Hispanic Health Council | Our project explored the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine within the Hartford community and aimed to discover the main reasons for vaccine hesitancy in the community. Our project was a collaboration with Hispanic Health Council and the Liberal Arts Action Lab. To conduct our research, we worked with local community health workers to better understand the COVID-19 situation in Hartford and to determine common reasons as to why people have not received the COVID-19 vaccine. Our work specifically focused on why residents in Hartford and surrounding communities are hesitant to receive the vaccine. | Health | https://action-lab.org/vaccine-uptake/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
13 | 2022 | Cade Klarides-Ditria '23, Rashaud Conway '23, Christian Anzeveno '23, Sara Johnson '23 | Youth Development | Liberal Arts Action Lab | ConnectiKids | As students of Trinity College in the Liberal Arts Action Lab we had the opportunity to work with ConnectiKids to explore what long term outcomes ConnectiKids’ participants have experienced since their participation in the program. ConnectiKids is a Positive Youth Development program that provides after school tutoring, mentoring, and enrichment programs to Hartford youth grades K-8. We supported ConnectiKids in their efforts to utilize PYD for the children in their community by increasing their chances of getting funding. | Education | https://action-lab.org/youth-development/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
14 | 2022 | Wendy Salto '22, Jiwen Fan '23, Isabelle Duval '23, Yusong Chen '23, Scott Alexander '23 | Anti-Racist Education | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Hartford Federation of Teachers | The Anti-Racist Education project evaluates the content and availability of anti-racist education trainings in a school in Hartford, CT. Working with teachers from the Hartford Federation of Teachers, we collaboratively designed a survey tool to measure educator perceptions of anti-racist training. The goal is to understand past anti-racist trainings offered by the school, gauge perceptions of their usefulness and effectiveness, and gather opinions on what would be useful in the future. We will continue to work with Hartford Federation of Teachers to assess these important issues. | Education | https://action-lab.org/anti-racisteducation/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
15 | 2021 | Joshua Jacob '23, Gabrielle Desrochers '24, Hallie Bachman '24, Ramphis Medina '23, Qining Wang '22 | Energy Burden | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Sierra Club of CT | This team worked with the Sierra Club of Connecticut to investigate energy burden in the North End of Hartford. The team conducted background research on energy burden, compiled data on energy burden in the North End of Hartford, interviewed Hartford area experts, and recruited community members for a PhotoVoice project - a participatory research method where community members respond to a research question with photos they take themselves. | Energy and environment | action-lab.org/energyburdenhtfd | ||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 2021 | Essence Smith '24, Corinne Bolding '24, Madi McShane '24, August Theoharides '23, Erica Desmond '23, Rocio Fernandez Gutierrez '22 | Neighborhood Investment | Liberal Arts Action Lab | South West/Behind the Rocks NRZ | Working with the South West and Behind the Rocks NRZ, this team gathered and analyzed data on how neighborhood investments have impacted the neighborhoods served by the NRZ. The team used data from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, and other sources to understand how the South West and Behind the Rocks neighborhoods have changed over time. | Community Development; Housing | action-lab.org/neighborhood-investment | ||||||||||||||||||||
17 | 2021 | Emeline Avignon '24, Joshua Jacoves '23, Sophia Sczurko '23, Catherine Doyle '23, Kristina Kendall '23 | Frog Hollow Storytelling | Liberal Arts Action Lab | SINA | In partnership with SINA, the Frog Hollow Oral History team assembled a multimedia archive documenting the neighborhood's lived history, experiences, and public art. In collaboration with residents and leaders of the Frog Hollow Community, the group of student researchers created four "Tour Lines": Community Spaces, Public Art, Frog Hollow Heroes, and Voices of Frog Hollow. Each line has a set amount of "stops" containing the site's history and any relevant photos, interviews, or data. | Oral History; Arts | http://action-lab.org/frog-hollow-oral-history/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
18 | 2021 | Cora Rydingsword '24, Casey Habegger '23, Aleen Kirmani '23 | Community Ownership | Liberal Arts Action Lab | LISC | The Community Ownership team worked with LISC to expand upon the Action Lab’s 2019 Absentee Landlord Project. The team compiled and analyzed data on homeownership in the North End of Hartford, including data on where the largest landlords in the neighborhood live. | Community Development; Housing | action-lab.org/community-ownership/introduction/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
19 | 2021 | Sab Clumeck ’24, Caroline Frederick ’24, Claire Sabbe ’24, Sophia Sniffin ’24 | YWCA Hartford CACT Project | Community Action Gateway | YWCA Hartford | The YWCA's advocacy and research team asks for research and communications help as they prepare for advocacy related to the case of Tianna LaBoy, a young woman inmate at York Correctional facility in Connecticut who was denied medical care and subsequently gave birth in the toilet of her cell. Tianna’s case prompted a series of investigations and calls for Department of Corrections (DOC) medical care regulation over the past few years. The YWCA Hartford requests investigative, background research to better understand this complex issue. This group’s research included textual analysis of news articles, public testimony and legal documents as well as interviews with formerly incarcerated women and others. | Human Rights | https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13cOE87ppWmmN1loAkxhfeSMRq7_-0umNZq4GqiOVHPg/edit?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
20 | 2021 | Olivia Domingos ’24, Kash Jain ’24, Xavier Mercado ’24 | Mutual Aid Hartford CACT Project | Community Action Gateway | Mutual Aid Hartford | Mutual Aid Hartford is a sustainable community-run network of needs and offers started by people of color and sustained by our neighbors and partners in action (not charity – solidarity). This group came to life as a response to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on our communities and organizers and is currently working to form a community council, hiring grassroots organizers, launching the community raised “Resist Evictions” fund, and more.Mutual Aid Hartford asked for help exploring different digital platforms to host a needs/offers site and an exploration of different models of mutual aid in communities. The communications products this group created included a report on mutual aid, a sample organizers map and a mock up needs/offers form. | Food; community development | https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rYqXcqQPwBVxI8c-ir-L0RfQJvhy78SCnIBg5nLfR5I/edit?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
21 | 2021 | Alicia Anchondo ’24, Aarti Lamberg ’24, Abby Nick ’24 | NARAL Pro-Choice CT and Hartford GYN Center CACT Project | Community Action Gateway | NARAL Pro-Choice CT and Hartford GYN Center | NARAL Pro-Choice CT and community clinic Hartford GYN Center asked for research on what it would takes to start an abortion fund and how advocates in other cities such as Austin, TX have had recent success (as part of Defund the Police campaigns) redirecting police department funds to human services including funds for abortion and other reproductive health services. This group conducted background research, a literature review, case studies on two cities, and key stakeholder interviews to explore how these ideas could apply in Hartford. For communications products, the students provided a public presentation for Connecticut-based and national advocacy groups as well as print and digital materials related to reproductive health. | Health | https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kGz3-chhcbtIv5YR-PE3kwFu2A8nC1CvxZcVxy8wGlU/edit?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
22 | 2021 | Sam Burg ’24, Tara Iyer ’24, Essence Smith ’24 | Connecticut Hall of Change CACT Project | Community Action Gateway | Connecticut Hall of Change | The Connecticut Hall of Change is an initiative that recognizes and memorializes formerly incarcerated men and women who have made substantial contributions to their communities since their release. So far, eight individuals have been highlighted by the initiative and they are called “The Great 8.” Moving forward, the CT Hall of Change is interested in answering the question, “How do we challenge the stigma and change the narrative around people who have made a mistake in life? How do we see others as real people who have dealt with mental health challenges, addiction or other challenges in their life?” Charlie Grady has spearheaded the CT Hall of Change initiative and asked for help lifting the profile of The Great 8 program. Students created a resource folder, social media content, and a newsletter to help pitch the Great 8 stories for a statewide speakers bureau tour. | Human Rights | https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Br2nLVsguiLLZQlscmgpxgltu0vlz_Z-3ghZSK_3HFQ/edit?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
23 | 2021 | Shahd Oufi, Timothy Johnson '22, Malika Buscaino '23, Zeinab Bakayoko '23, Leslie Macedo '23, Will Scannell '24 | Refugee Needs | Liberal Arts Action Lab | SAWA | The collaboration of The Liberal Arts Action Lab (LAAL) and SAWA is aimed to design and conduct a research project that investigates the experiences of refugee families in Greater Hartford and determine resources needed to achieve refugees’ goals for the future. SAWA is a community nonprofit organization that supports and serves refugees in the Greater Hartford area in a multitude of ways. Researchers in the Action Lab partnered with SAWA to better understand the barriers that Greater Hartford refugees face. The key motivation of the partnership was to identify the needs of the refugee community so that SAWA can accommodate and provide more support to them in Greater Hartford. SAWA helped the team recruit participants for four focus group interviews, and researchers at LAAL conducted in-depth focus group interviews to assess challenges for refugees. After conducting the interviews, the research team created a needs assessment memo and then produced a framework for a resource guide. The resource guide is based on the focus groups’ responses and will be accessible to refugee families and their communities through SAWA. | Immigration | https://action-lab.org/refugee-needs/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
24 | 2021 | James Michielli '23, Vanessa Ferrara '21, Carder Miller '24, Alina Ryan '22 | Limitless Fitness | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Oak Hill | Limitless Fitness is a project in partnership with community member Kelly Boscarino, Senior Grants Specialist of Oak Hill Adaptive Sports and Fitness. Our research project focuses on how we can expand Oak Hill’s sphere of influence to other facilities and related organizations. Spreading awareness of the unique and specialized physical training for people with disabilities and veterans that Oak Hill Adaptive Sports and Fitness provides will allow other facilities to incorporate similar programs and increase their support for people living with disabilities. Oak Hill is one of the few facilities in the country that serves a broad range of disabilities from minor mental delays to severe physical disabilities and everything in between, and their service to and care for this community is beyond exceptional. | Health | https://action-lab.org/limitless-fitness/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
25 | 2021 | Emma Hersom '24, Bailey Cunningham '21, Concilia Ndlovu '21, Rafael Villa '21, Destini Watson | School Nutrition Project | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Hartford Food System | The goal of our research project was to work with Grow Hartford Youth Program, a food justice organization in Hartford, CT. Grow Hartford Youth Program organizes the youth and community around social injustices such as food injustice, racism, and adultism. Our project’s aim was to bring awareness to the Hartford Public School nutrition plan and to determine how power players in the food sector impact the food provided in these schools | Health | https://action-lab.org/school-nutrition/introduction/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
26 | 2020 | Sara Barrett ’21, Ava Goncalves ’20, Levi Kardulis, Brenda Ordonez ’22, and Lashawn Robinson | Arts Education | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Hartford Performs | In this project, students worked with Hartford Perform to research the impact of Hartford Performs’ programming in Hartford Public Schools and the effectiveness of arts-based education. This team conducted a focus group of teaching artists and interviewed parents to gain a comprehensive understanding of both the program’s impact on Hartford students and insight on program logistics. Students also observed classrooms in different public schools across Hartford to investigate the effects of teaching artists’ engagement with students. The project team found that arts integration in the classroom improves creativity, self-expression, and student engagement. They recommended expanding the program into middle and high schools, increasing funding for Hartford Performs, and more communication between Hartford Performs, teaching artists, and parents. | Education | https://action-lab.org/arts-education/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
27 | 2020 | Shian Earlington, Frances Gibson, Giovanni Jones ’21, Max Norteman ’23, and Lucy Pereira ’20 | HIV Community-Health | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Yale School Public Health: ARCH Lab | This project team researched Community Health Workers (CHWs) and their impact on health outcomes for their patients living with HIV. Students also focused on new certification requirements for CHWs and how this affects their work. Using a snowball sampling method, students conducted qualitative interviews with current CHWs and data analysts involved in research surrounding the role of CHWs in HIV-related care. The project found that CHWs help improve health outcomes by serving as a liaison between community members and health care providers, advocating for their clients, and working to combat internal and external stigma. They also work to help clients overcome barriers to care including housing, transportation, language services, and education. The project team also found the recent certification option for CHWs did not meet initial expectations and raised important questions regarding the scope of practice, essential skills, and funding. The team recommended appropriately regulating and professionalizing the role by defining the scope of practice, making work done by CHWs billable, creating a standardized training program, and having employers fund certification for current CHWs. | Health | https://action-lab.org/hiv-community-health/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
28 | 2020 | Lauren Mac Master '20, Nina Montross '20, Arianna O’Brien '20, Jasmine Parras ’23, and Adrian Rivera ’20 | Addiction Treatment | Liberal Arts Action Lab | InterCommunity Health Care | This group conducted research to help determine if the I CAN Recover model was more effective at treating addiction than other models. The team’s community partner, InterCommunity Health Care, planned to conduct an experiment to demonstrate the benefits of this model with the intention of making it available for other facilities to implement. Students completed a literature review to determine the most effective research designs by identifying similar treatment effectiveness studies. They proposed three research plans: a random assignment option, a pre-post option, and a quasi-experiment option. They proposed measuring treatment effectiveness using retention rates, number of sober days per month, admissions to the emergency department, and deaths due to opioid overdose. All design proposals would use a point-based system to incentivize participation. | Health | https://action-lab.org/addiction-treatment/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
29 | 2020 | Victoria Asfalg ’23, Lillian Foote ’21, and Sulemaan Khalid ’23 | Neighborhood Communications | Liberal Arts Action Lab | City of Hartford, Office of Community Engagement | This project team worked with the City of Hartford’s Office of Community Engagement to improve communication between the city government and Hartford city residents. The team investigated how residents currently received information about city services, what city services people were most interested in hearing about, and how residents experienced the process of trying to contact the city. Students conducted in-person qualitative interviews with 25 residents and distributed an online survey through social media. From the in-person interviews, the team found that the majority of participants noted word-of-mouth as their primary channel of information about city services. While 67% of residents interviewed were “satisfied” with the information they received from the city, less than half of the participants contacted the city directly. Preferred methods of communication about city services included an email letter, texting service, and a newsletter. From the online survey, the team found both residents and non-residents used phone calls over any other form of communication to contact the city. However, more Hartford resident’s utilized the city’s 3-1-1 app. Students suggested implementing a city-wide texting service, an email newsletter, and a print newsletter posted in public places central to the community. | Community Development | https://action-lab.org/neighborhood-communications/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
30 | 2020 | Aliyah Freeman-Johnson, Julian Hogan, Armani Parnther, and Mercy Unoh ’23 | Black Heritage | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library | This team worked with their community partner, the Hartford History Center, to raise awareness about the Talcott Street Congregational Church, the first black Congregational church in Hartford and the third in the nation. Students conducted archival research at Hartford History Center, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, and the Old State House. The team met with staff at the Old State House and with members from Faith Congregational Church, the contemporary location of the Talcott Street Church. Students studied works by Ann Plato, a Hartford native and 19th-century educator and author, and accounts from the life of Reverend James Pennington, among other primary source documents. The project team created an online exhibit on their website to highlight the church’s timeline and important leaders. They also drafted a proposal for the Chief Executive Officer of Capital Community College to memorialize the historical site. The proposal included both short-term ideas, such as workshops for faculty members to learn more about the church’s significance, and longer-term initiatives, such as a dedicated research course focusing on the church. The team also provided ideas for the city to help highlight the church, such as creating a permanent exhibit and memorializing the site on the Freedom Trail. | Education | https://action-lab.org/black-heritage/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
31 | 2020 | Kevin Torres '21 | Abandoned Property Research: Do Abandoned Vehicles Indicate a Blighted Neighborhood? | Community Learning Research Fellows | Northside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (NINA) | Northside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (NINA) asked for assistance identifying problem properties including crime hot-spots or sources of blight before they affect the health, safety and welfare of the neighborhood. Kevin’s research explored the density of blight in specified neighborhoods and explored whether abandoned vehicles were a predictor or indicator of a blighted neighborhood. This process will help NINA engage property owners in repairing their properties before substantial community and governmental investment of resources becomes necessary. | Community Development | https://cher.trincoll.edu/community-learning/abandoned-vehicles-and-blight/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
32 | 2020 | Brenda Piedras ’21 | Community Health Worker Policy Leadership and the COVID-19 Pandemic | Community Learning Research Fellows | National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW) | Brenda assisted the National Association of Community Health Workers in answering questions on what kind of leadership training and/or mentoring would be necessary to increase CHW participation in policy-making and what information lawmakers need to know about CHWs especially in light of the COVID pandemic. Brenda developed an semi-structured interview guide based off NACHW’s March 2020 survey of CHWs and then conducted, transcribed, and coded interviews with 10 community health workers that explored factors promoting and/or obstructing engagement in policy-making and advocacy. | Health | https://cher.trincoll.edu/community-learning/chw-covid-19/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
33 | 2020 | Bea Dresser '22 | Survivor's Perception of Family Violence Victim Advocacy Services in Criminal and Family Court | Community Learning Research Fellows | CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence | The CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence asked for research assistance to better understand the role of the Family Violence Victim Advocate (FVVA) role in each of the geographic area courts in Connecticut. Bea worked to code and analyze 130 survivors’ survey responses about their experiences with FVVAs. Bea’s methodology included inductive coding which allowed her to categorize themes in responses which the CCADV will use to adjust training of FVVAs in the future. | Human Rights | https://cher.trincoll.edu/community-learning/survivors-perceptions-on-victim-court-advocates/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
34 | 2020 | Malika Buscaino ’23 and Wendy Salto ’22 | Making Information Accessible to Hartford Immigrants and Refugees | Community Learning Research Fellows | Commission for Refugee and Immigrant Affairs (CRIA) | Malika and Wendy worked with the Hartford Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs (CRIA) to identify strategies to improve outreach to newcomer immigrants and refugees in Hartford. To do this, Wendy and Malika conducted, recorded, transcribed and coded focus groups with community organizers from grassroots organizations and other individuals in the Hartford area who work directly with immigrant and refugee communities. This focus group helped Wendy and Malika identify public perceptions of CRIA and strategies for engagement. | Immigration | |||||||||||||||||||||
35 | 2020 | Alli Futter '23 | The Case for a Health and Wellness Approach to Addiction | Community Learning Research Fellows | 2 Your Health LLC | 2 Your Health, LLC asked for assistance identifying and organizing existing research on all-natural holistic addiction treatment methods and synthesizing the resources available in order to apply for grant funding for a pilot program. Alli’s research had two major components: the first part of the research included identifying, organizing, summarizing and graphically representing existing evidence-based research. The second part of Alli’s research included conducting interviews with key stakeholders and pulling out key ideas for each interview. This research will support 2 Your Health in taking their pilot program to the next step. | Health | https://cher.trincoll.edu/community-learning/the-case-for-a-health-wellness-hw-approach-to-addiction/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
36 | 2019 | Will Tjeltveit | Modeling Visitation at Coltsville National Historical Park | Community Learning Research Fellows | National Park Service | Coltsville National Historical Park (NHP), located in the City of Hartford, will be one of the first of its kind, combining an already present city park with a new federal historical interpretive center. Before it can become a full National Historical Park, both the City of Hartford and the National Park Service need a clearer understanding of how often the park will be visited and how people will use the new park. To make these projections, I have undertaken several tasks. I combined a model designed to estimate park visitation with progressive modeling of similar National Historical Parks and data of set park usage. Doing so allowed me to estimate visitation for the future Coltsville NHP based on a number of different scenarios. With no real renovations to the city park and a small visitor center, visitation is predicted to be 439,483. With thorough renovations and the visitor center, annual visitation would be predicted at roughly 541,316 persons. With this information, along with suggested methods for increasing confidence, not only will Coltsville will be one step closer to becoming an official National Historical Park, but other new sites will be able to employ a simple method of estimating park usage. | Environment | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kjuLet1QQwnE0u3rCOhJb4tXus1-B9YV/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
37 | 2019 | Richard Perry III '22 and Olivia Zeiner-Morrish '22 | Uncovering Data on Firearms Recovered in Hartford | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Communities That Care and Connecticut Against Gun Violence (CAGV) | While hundreds of illegal firearms are confiscated in Hartford every year, there persists a staggering lack of publicly-available information on these guns. This has provided a considerable challenge to our community partners, CT Against Gun Violence and Hartford Communities That Care, two local organizations committed to reducing gun violence. In our research, we aim to remedy these informational deficiencies and provide data which will support their advocacy efforts. Our research was guided by three specific questions: First, what types of firearms are recovered in Hartford? Second, what criminal offense is associated with each recovered weapon? Finally, what is the geographic distribution of these recovered firearms? From the Major Crimes Unit of the Hartford Police Department, we obtained data on six hundred and forty-five firearms recovered in the city between January 1, 2018 and October 26, 2019. We subsequently consolidated and visually represented this data in a more accessible format than the complex Excel sheets and crime reports we received. As our final product, we analyzed and visualized the emerging trends in order to deliver our community partners useful visualizations of this previously inaccessible data. | Health | https://drive.google.com/file/d/17GfyEjv5Xw6jFPpAOosKxZlI4WmR0GlM/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
38 | 2019 | Renita Washington | What do Higher Socioeconomic Families Value in Child Care Centers? | Community Learning Research Fellows | Trinity College Community Child Care Center (TC4) | Trinity College Community Child Care Center (TC4) has served children, ages six weeks – 5 years, and their families since 1985. Their mission is to “serve the children and families of the surrounding Hartford community and the Trinity College community by providing high-quality education in a safe and nurturing environment that celebrates the diversity…” TC4’s goal is to serve a diverse group of families, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or disabilities. TC4 is interested in recruiting more higher-income families to ensure they can continue to meet the needs of the Center as it servers various populations. To support TC4 in meeting this goal, I undertook two steps: First, I analyzed anonymized enrollment records from the Center to determine what types of families (SES, Trinity or community membership, other demographic factors) TC4 has served/subsidized with scholarships over time. Second, I interviewed eight families from higher SES backgrounds to determine what qualities are most important to them when they are looking for child care. I found that enrollment of low-income families at TC4 has been relatively stable over the last 10 years and that there is significant racial/ethnic diversity among enrolled children. I also found that higher socioeconomic families prioritize location, NAEYC accreditation, and cost, but may assume that TC4 only enrolls families affiliated with Trinity. | Education | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pCoZgxxcOFlfLO1X28IiJvKSjDM55jS-/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
39 | 2019 | Manny Rodriguez | Connecticut Pre-K Policy, Parental Choice, and the Trinity College Community Child Center | Community Learning Research Fellows | Trinity College Community Child Care Center (TC4) | Traditional public-school programs in Connecticut have experienced being pushed out and overtaken by newer schooling options such as magnet and charter schools. This has largely occurred due to the landmark Sheff vs. O’Neill decision, which resulted in a host of regulations and policies aimed at ensuring schools were well integrated across the state. One of these policies called for the development of magnet schools. The influx of magnet pre-k programs has caused preschools like the Trinity College Community Child Center (TC4) to lose enrollees and, in turn, revenue. For this project, I researched how state funding policy changes impact the decision-making process of parents when deciding where to send their children to school. Specifically, I sought to discover how the growth of magnet pre-k programs in Connecticut has influenced the decisions families make when choosing who will care for their 3-to-5-year-old children. I conducted research analyzing data from the CT Office of Early Childhood the CT State Department of Education, and other scholarly sources. I also conducted qualitative interviews with current and formerly enrolled parents at TC4 to investigate what traits they find attractive in pre-k programs. The results show that parents are generally more pragmatic than idealistic when it comes to where to send their children for childcare. Many parents expressed that they would send their children to a traditional public school if it was more convenient, but others saw those programs as too under-resourced and underperforming. Overall, parents identified issues within the magnet system but still wanted to do what was best for their children’s future. | Education | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hJe36B2k3PfmbjOJbQSDcH1FodJa-6hW/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
40 | 2019 | Jackie Monzon | Cultural Variation in Parents’ School Engagement: Evidence from the Jubilee House | Community Learning Research Fellows | Jubilee House | There are many different challenges immigrant parents face that limit them from being physically involved in school, including language barriers, conflicting work schedules, and cultural barriers. However, research has shown that just because immigrant parents cannot always meet the standard definition of what it means to be an “involved parent” in the United States, it does not mean they are uninvolved or do not value the education of their children. Since 1997, the Jubilee House has been a community adult education and social service center that serves the Hartford immigrant and refugee population. The Jubilee House provides many resources, especially English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) classes. The mission of the staff at Jubilee House is to help immigrants and refugees become proficient in the English language so that they can sustain independence to find employment, find social networks, become active citizens and community members, and if applicable, be able to help their children also be successful. Given that many people who use Jubilee House’s services are parents, I sought to examine the following research questions: How do a parent’s studies impact their children? What practices and supports could be added into the Jubilee Program to promote family literacy? I conducted semi-structured interviews with parents at Jubilee House to explore how they think about their child’s education and how they are involved. I identified four key themes from parents’ responses: specific roles they enact to support their children’s education, aspirations and goals they have for their children, values they wish to teach their children, and how their education at Jubilee House sets an example for their children. I offer specific suggestions for how Jubilee House might expand their programming to meet the needs of immigrant parents. | Immigration; Education | https://drive.google.com/file/d/19cOrW-ua81ShTtXCHqDstuoHhL7lD9jw/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
41 | 2019 | Isabelle Alexandre | Examining Differences in Maternal Care of Women with Medicaid vs. Private Insurance: Phase 1 | Community Learning Research Fellows | YWCA Hartford | According to the Centers for Disease Control, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed country in the world, with 26.4 deaths for every 100,000 live births. The prevalence in Connecticut is 19.0 deaths per 100,000 live births. Research has identified factors contributing to the high maternal mortality rate in the U.S; however, it is less clear whether these factors also are at play in Connecticut. The number one contributing factor to high maternal mortality rates is access to insurance or lack thereof. Less access to insurance leads to diminished access to prenatal care, which can further adverse health effects for pregnant and postpartum women. This project aims to compare maternal pre and postpartum care for individuals on Medicaid versus private insurance in Connecticut for women of all ages that have experienced birth in the last 12 months. The methodology of this project involves a two-step process. The first step will be interviewing approximately five YWCA partners to ascertain their perspectives on critical care needed for a healthy pregnancy. The second step will be to conduct focus groups of women identified by the YWCA partners. The results obtained from the focus groups will help to develop a series of recommendations for the YWCA as it develops its policies to address gaps in service that limit women in having equitable care. | Health; Human Rights | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HB1U8-GjiZG-N7SSJ-9VlwMLdD8yDTCv/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
42 | 2019 | Emily Schroeder | Community College Student-Parents: Experience, Persistence, and Outcomes | Community Learning Research Fellows | CT Early Childhood Alliance | Adults who occupy both the role of student and parent represent a unique population within the American higher education system, as they must balance their dual responsibilities in the classroom and at home. Unfortunately, little research on “student parents” exists regarding the additional challenges they face as they balance their responsibilities and the degree of success they find in their academic careers.Thus, in partnership with the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance (CECA) and Capital Community College, we endeavored to answer the question of what differences exist between the experiences of parent and non-parent students in regards to their attendance, persistence, and experience in community college, as well as how student parents navigate their long-term educational goals versus the immediate responsibilities of parenthood. I used a mixed methods approach, using qualitative interviews of two parents as well as data from the 2012-17 Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey from the National Center for Educational Statistics to answer these questions. As Connecticut is one of two states that severely restricts access to childcare subsidies to only parents on TANF, this study will help the CECA, who seeks to use the results to help pass legislation in the upcoming Connecticut Sessions. | Education | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FyjmxduiuREyMCuluBmW9H-m0kwrMTyc/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
43 | 2019 | Eleanor Faraguna | Organizing Strategies for Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Campaigns in Connecticut | Community Learning Research Fellows | NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut | In my research, I examined the basic principles of community organizing, including issue development, leadership development, and coalition building, to support the Healthy Youth Coalition’s effort to organize and pass statewide comprehensive sexual health education in Connecticut. For my methodology, I conducted an extensive literature review on sexual health campaigns, undertook interviews with major stakeholders such as Planned Parenthood and lawmakers, and I describe a case study in which I analyze the current comprehensive sexual health campaign efforts in New York. I offer specific recommendations on how the Healthy Youth Coalition by applying successful elements of the New York campaign. This report will be utilized by members of the Healthy Youth Coalition to understand the realities and challenges of organizing a comprehensive sexual health campaign in Connecticut. | Education; Human Rights | https://drive.google.com/file/d/177zqFzLfNzKdv88LWGH4BXggGjOdSySX/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
44 | 2019 | Brenda Ordonez | Challenges Encountered by Adult ESL Tutors in the Classroom: A Study of ESL Resources at Jubilee House | Community Learning Research Fellows | Jubilee House | Adult literacy and ESL programs face unique challenges that K-12 or higher education settings do not encounter. ESL programs often have a limited budget and are run by community organizations that have volunteer teachers with little to no experience or training in teaching a language and literacy class or other pedagogical content knowledge. Jubilee House provides English literacy and social integration services to Hartford residents, especially immigrants and refugees. Through these programs, Jubilee House is able to help its students become active citizens and sustain their independence. Given the amount of preparation Jubilee tutors receive and the limited resources offered, my research question focused on the following: What kinds of ESL resources currently exist at Jubilee House and what do tutors find most helpful and useful about them? What kinds of additional resources do new tutors want? To answer this question, I conducted interviews with both incoming tutors and experienced ESL tutors on what resources they currently use in their teaching and what type of resources they would like, but can’t easily access. Additionally, I analyzed the characteristics of each type of resource to determine what components they share and/or how they differ. I provide recommendations on how my findings can be used to develop a tutor orientation packet for new tutors with Jubilee House’s ESL program. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=10fCecBnJ2H5dR8ZFYkJQLj1Br-KPhVpB | ||||||||||||||||||||
45 | 2019 | Alejandra Zaldivar | State of Bilingual Education in Hartford: Opportunities for Growth | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford City Councilwoman Wildaliz Bermudez | This project analyzes which Hartford elementary schools currently have bilingual programs. There is a necessity to see the evolution of bilingual programs over the recent years. To gain a better understanding of how many students are learning English as a second language, I examined individual school reports between 2017 and 2018. Also, I analyzed the demographics of seven Hartford schools to determine why these schools have bilingual programs. Furthermore, I interviewed two officials from the Department of Education to understand the condition and background of this program in the state. Two key findings were that there are two different bilingual education practices within the Hartford Public Schools: transitional bilingual programs and dual language programs. Overall, these two bilingual programs differ in their purpose, duration and how much funding and resources they receive each year. | Education | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lhAxZjj-JtCmZMSVVXKbL3MpnXKYibSP/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
46 | 2019 | Allen Bowin, Dawn King, Elizabeth Rousseau, Sydney Pagliocco, Shantal Birungi | Student Success | Liberal Arts Action Lab | West Indian Foundation | West Indians now (as of the 2010 census) comprise the largest foreign-born population in Connecticut at precisely the same time that budgets for “new arrivals” programs, aimed at easing their transition into the K-12 education systems, have been slashed. Moreover, most programs focused on the intersection of cultural integration and educational success are primarily concerned with students of Hispanic and Latino backgrounds given the proportion of English Language Learners throughout Connecticut schools. The research question is: how do local area schools (Hartford County) integrate West Indian children and their parents into the education system when English Language learning and programs aimed at cultural competency often miss the nuances of the needs of English speaking migrants, their children who emigrate with them, as well their first-generation children? | Immigration; Education | https://action-lab.org/student-success | ||||||||||||||||||||
47 | 2019 | Joyce Figueroa-Pomales, Jennifer Medina, Jackie Monzon | Latinx Theater | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Hartford Stage | The LatinX Theatre Project team has been collaborating with the Hartford Stage and becoming involved with different organizations and artists. The Hartford Stage submitted this project proposal to the Action Lab because they have noticed that there is a gap and difference with the audience they attract. They have noticed that the majority of their audience comes from outside of Hartford, from a higher socioeconomic background. Since the Hartford Stage is located in the heart of Hartford, they are looking for ways to connect to the city. Hartford is made up a very diverse community that is majority people of color, 43% of whom are LatinX. The Hartford Stage was particularly interested in which churches, restaurants, cafes, bars, etc, are important to the LatinX community, and what organizations they utilize. The ultimate goal of the Hartford Stage is to connect and deepen their relationships in the city and it is through direct feedback from the Latinx community. They want to create meaningful partnerships and support the already existing and thriving community of Latinx artists and audiences. The end goal for this project was to find ways to connect the Hartford Stage with the LatinX community in Hartford. The team sought to answer three research questions: What acts/organizations are already in the area that involve the Latinx community and could potentially partner with Hartford Stage? Where does the Latinx community spend their free time and what are and/or cultural activities are most relevant to the community? How can we be most effective in creating or encouraging partnerships between the Hartford state and organizations/artists from the Latinx community of Hartford, and what could these partnerships include? | Art; Hispanic Studies | https://action-lab.org/latinx-theater | ||||||||||||||||||||
48 | 2019 | Juliana Ankomah, Stephanie Brooks, Sonjah Dessalines, Nelson Neo, and Yinestra West | Culinary Careers | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Billings Forge Community Works | The Culinary Careers Project Team, “The Execs”, worked alongside Billings Forge Community Works, a non-profit organization that provides job training, food access, and sustainable social enterprises to help people change their lives. Billings Forge identified food service as one of few options open to people with barriers to employment such as recent incarceration, homelessness, and poverty. The organization seeks to address social and economic inequality in the city of Hartford in one small but essential way: through career pathways that lead to better jobs. Billings Forge approached our Action Lab team because they were interested in developing mid-level training that advances skills and earnings for the underemployed, unemployed, workers, new and future labor market entrants, and to provide a steady supply of qualified workers for employers. The Action Lab team sought answers to the following questions: Which program models have the best results for participants? What do participants learn in these programs? What support do Hartford residents need to advance in the culinary industry? | Food; Education | https://action-lab.org/culinary-careers/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
49 | 2019 | Renita Washington, Keane Fajardo, Djamilatou Camara | Social Media Audit for True Colors | Community Action Gateway | True Colors, Inc. Sexual Minority Youth and Family Services | True Colors is a non-profit organization that works with other social service agencies, schools, organizations, and within communities to ensure that the needs of sexual and gender minority youth are competently met. Programs include one-on-one and group mentoring; school based youth advocacy and leadership development; the production of the largest LGBTQ+ youth conference in the country; professional cultural competency training; and the management of a state wide task force focused on the needs of LGBTQ+ youth in out-of-home care. True Colors wished to create a social media strategy to better complete their mission of working with other agencies, so Community Action Gateway students began by conducting a social media audit with recommendations for the future and sample posts for target audiences. | https://cher.trincoll.edu/cactatruecolors26/ | |||||||||||||||||||||
50 | 2019 | Sophia Lopez, Richard Perry III, Leah Swope, Olivia Zeiner-Morrish | Unlock the Vote | Community Action Gateway | Blue Ribbon Strategies | Community Action Gateway students partnered with Blue Ribbon Strategies on the Unlock the Vote Campaign, specifically advocating for S.B. 25 An Act Restoring Electoral Privileges to Felony Convicts Who Are Currently on Parole. Students researched criminal disenfranchisement laws in various states, lobbied at the State Capitol in support of the bill, and conducted and transcribed interviews with Hartford residents and Trinity College students on their thoughts regarding felony disenfranchisement. | Human Rights | https://cher.trincoll.edu/unlockthevote-trinity-students-work-to-restore-voting-privileges-to-parolees/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
51 | 2019 | Karolina Barrientos, Olivia Louthen, Coleman McJessy, India Rhodes | Reproductive Health and Health Equity: Advocating for Doula Care | Community Action Gateway | Health Equity Solutions | Health Equity Solutions' vision is for every Connecticut resident to attain optimal health regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Their mission is to promote policies, programs, and practices that result in equitable health care access, delivery, and outcomes for all people in Connecticut. Community Action Gatway Students focused on reproductive health disparities and helped the organization to advocate for S.B. 1078 Doula Certification and Medicaid Reimbursement for Doula Services. Students wrote a white paper about the bill and also produced a one pager to be used when lobbying legislators. They also created a trifold Health Equity brochure for the organization to use when conducting workshops to engage community members. | Human Rights; Health | |||||||||||||||||||||
52 | 2019 | Rakan Alzhaga, Dasha Maliauskaya, Wendy Salto | Analysis of Hartford, West Hartford, and East Hartford School Districts | Community Action Gateway | Make the Road CT | Make the Road Connecticut works to support immigrants to be active in their communities and to lift themselves out of poverty through legal and support services, civic engagement, transformative education and policy innovation. Community Action Gateway Students researched schools in Hartford, West Hartford, and East Hartford to answer the question, "How well is your kid's school doing in educating them?" Students created a series of infographics that Make the Road CT will use to engage parents in their parent committee and to show Board of Education members when they meet with them. | Immigration; Education | https://cher.trincoll.edu/cactmaketheroadspring19/ | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lhAxZjj-JtCmZMSVVXKbL3MpnXKYibSP | |||||||||||||||||||
53 | 2018 | Aidan Arnold | Establishing a Community Business Association Operated by the Southwest and Behind the Rocks Neighborhood Revitalization Zone | Community Learning Research Fellows | Behind the Rocks and Southwest NRZs | New Britain Avenue (NBA) is the most concentrated area of commerce in the Southwest and Behind the Rocks neighborhoods of Hartford, CT, consisting mostly of small businesses. To better support both these businesses and the community, the Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ) of Southwest/Behind the Rocks (SW/BTR) has founded an NBA business group with a mission to “strengthen relations and communication between businesses on NBA, the community, and the City of Hartford.” I am aiding in this project by creating specific steps for the NRZ to follow to establish a long-term business group comprised of cooperative businesses with vested interest in the community. To do so, I have consulted the literature on best practices for interacting with, and providing resources for businesses, and interviewed a well-established administrator of a Hartford business association. Additionally, I have worked with the NRZ to produce their first quarterly newsletter and created a model for future newsletters, which will facilitate dissemination of information to small businesses in these neighborhoods. | Community Development | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HoFurbXs7jZDHNsZC3exPsaEP-uSnHcv | ||||||||||||||||||||
54 | 2018 | Samantha McCarthy | Effectively Communicating Research on Factors that Affect Abortion Access | Community Learning Research Fellows | NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut | NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut is a political advocacy organization that aims to protect reproductive rights and abortion access. In order to present the most compelling abortion access bill based on empirical research, the organization is seeking research on parental involvement laws, targeted regulation of abortion provider (TRAP) laws, mandatory waiting periods, physicians only laws, and cost/insurance barriers as these issues are all closely related to abortion access. To respond to this need, I examined the academic literature on the aforementioned topics and created an archive where I reviewed and systematically cataloged key resources that could be used to support their work. Importantly, the archive is modifiable so that new research can be added over time. | Human Rights; Health | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ksWZQc6UIueLfAMiwTl1SLKhKGF3QsYh | ||||||||||||||||||||
55 | 2018 | Mabel Silva | Boosting Oral Vocabulary: The Words Count Program | Community Learning Research Fellows | The Village for Families & Children | Research in psychology, sociology, and educational studies has demonstrated that the vocabulary young children are exposed to before age three has significant implications for their later educational outcomes. Words Count, an intervention being implemented by the Village for Families and Children, is designed to prepare young children for entrance into school, while also providing families with guidance on how to increase conversation and maximize the number of words their child(ren) encounters each day. In the current study, we aimed to (1) describe the sample of families enrolled in Words Count, (2) determine how children’s exposure to adult words and their conversational turns with adults changed over an approximately 10-month period when they were enrolled in Words Count, and (3) elucidate characteristics of families who evidenced improvements in adult word exposure and conversational turns. We found that between the first and last assessment, exposure to adult word count increased, while conversational turns remained approximately the same. Families with lower baseline scores on both outcomes appeared to evidence more growth over the course of the program. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1guUWUnAl5b3kBPcd0_V7KECZF2mDx2QI | ||||||||||||||||||||
56 | 2018 | Stefania Ruibal | Culture in the Classroom: Promoting Bicultural Identity in an ESL Classroom | Community Learning Research Fellows | The Jubilee House | I conducted a project with the The Jubilee House, an immigrant and refugee program center, to determine how the Jubilee House fosters culture and language acquisition and how social networks and connections impact this acquisition. I observed their English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and conducted interviews with the students, teachers, and tutors within this program. I found that the most prominent cultural aspects were found in the community created at The Jubilee House through one on one tutoring. Although they are not explicitly teaching culture or how to become more acclimated to living in America, tutors, teachers, and staff create a safe space where students are able to come when they need help with everyday basic needs. The Jubilee House, by creating a community of multiple cultures, encourages students to step out of their established communities and provides them the ability to connect with a new social network and support system. | Education; Immigration | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1N0X8kQPku9ap_9fklHRZTuguDWJFjErK | ||||||||||||||||||||
57 | 2018 | Vianna Iorio | Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy Writing Center: Resources and Recommendations | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy | The question I explored in this project was: what best practices can HMTCA’s Writing Center implement to enhance tutors’ and writers’ experience? I conducted observations and surveys and consulted the writing center scholarship to compile a concise document of key recommendations to address writing center concerns and improve practice. From the literature, I suggest 3 key recommendations: First, revise tutor training to be more student centered, encouraging of critical reflection, and to be ongoing over the semester. Second, institute a feedback system that makes use of regular surveys and an organized database to track information on student appointments. Third, develop a physical setting that has a moderate volume, desks arranged in groups of 2, and encourages about 10-15 people at a time in the space. These recommendations have been prioritized by both their applicability and feasibility. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1o3xcwQR3PUPWmcOuql88j8D7FtASwytn | ||||||||||||||||||||
58 | 2018 | Jitty Synn | Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Symposium Review | Community Learning Research Fellows | Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection | The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (CT DCP) provides resources to the general public on consumer education, complaint issues on medications, and investigation processes with the help of a legal counsel. The main focus of this department is to make these resources accessible for all communities. One of the annual events held by DCP is the Cross-Cultural Communications Symposium. This one-day, statewide event in July focuses on topics such as outreach and ethnic media. DCP wishes to enhance attendance and involvement from underserved communities so that the CT Department of Consumer Protection can reach each community and respond to their distinct needs. I analyzed survey data from this past year’s symposium, which consisted of responses to open- and close-ended questions. Participants expressed satisfaction with the symposium, but several opportunities for enhanced outreach and tailored workshops remain. Drawing from the literature and my review of the survey data, I provide the CT Department of Consumer Protection with key suggestions for enhancing outreach and workshop content for future symposia. | Health | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CJl43-571NGHbmwnIPw7jDZ40N822adB | ||||||||||||||||||||
59 | 2018 | Olivia Curreri | English Language Learners’ Use of Metacognitive Strategies in Reading Comprehension Tasks: Effects of English Proficiency and Task Language | Community Learning Research Fellows | Previous research has been conducted on English Language Learner’s (ELL) classroom performance, and separately on reading comprehension and metacognition. There is a gap in the literature regarding the intersection of these three topics. Metacognition has been shown to increase students’ academic performance, including on reading tasks, so the use of these strategies by students learning English could be beneficial to their achievement in the classroom. The present study will investigate ELL students’ use of metacognitive strategies on a reading comprehension task in English and Spanish. Participants will include 7th and 8th grade students proficient in Spanish with varying levels of English proficiency. Participants will complete a language proficiency test for placement in three categories of English proficiency: low, middle, and high. They will be given two passages with comprehension questions, one in each language. After completing each task, they will be questioned on their use of metacognitive strategies. I expect that students will perform similarly on the Spanish test and use metacognitive strategies in similar ways. I also predict a positive correlation between English proficiency and use of metacognitive strategies on the English test. Finally, I predict that ELL students who use more metacognitive strategies will perform better on the reading comprehension tasks, regardless of language. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PHRetdsc_SSLHoDYz6AQwOAVzSz2vww4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
60 | 2018 | Gillian Birk, Maddie Farrar, Amanda Lafferty, Megan Logan, Eve Molodetz, Doris Zhang | Hartford S.H.E.L.F. – Sustainable, Healthy, Economical and Local Foods | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Office of Sustainability, City of Hartford | In this project, students investigated the informational barriers that Hartford residents face when trying to access sustainable, healthy, economical, and locally-grown foods. Students conducted and implemented interviews with farmers, residents, and experts in the Hartford food system about the struggles these groups encounter providing and/or accessing local foods. Cost followed by nutritional value were the most highly-considered factors for Hartford residents when making their food choices, and more than half of the residents surveyed said they were likely to consider both locally-grown and environmental impact when shopping. Students found that while residents mainly used the internet to get information about healthy foods and recipes, they did not use it as commonly for information about where to shop. They concluded that there is not a consistent and/or reliable source for residents to determine what is being sold at farmers markets by day and suggested an internet intervention by publicizing a coordinated Twitter feed. | Sustainability | https://action-lab.org/hartford-shelf/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
61 | 2018 | Leah Cormier, Alex Dahlem, Gisselle Ortiz, Caroline Sullivan | Home Ownership | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Breakfast Lunch & Dinner | This group investigated how homeownership rates vary in the city and the region, what factors affect homeownership rates, and potential solutions to increase homeownership. Students used data from the Decennial Census and the American Community Survey and also conducted an interview survey of thirty residents from two Hartford neighborhoods. The team found that many of Hartford’s neighborhoods were unaffordable for the typical neighborhood resident and that housing stock was limited. They also found that, while the desire to own a home was high, credit was a major barrier to home ownership. | Housing | http://action-lab.org/home-ownership | ||||||||||||||||||||
62 | 2018 | Mohammed Albehadli, Ardyn Allessie, Micalyia Douglas, Tiana Starks, Daouda Williams | Opportunity Youth | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Capital Workforce Partners | In this project, students collected, analyzed, and identified gaps in data about Opportunity Youth in Hartford in order to learn how to better serve this population. The team collected demographic data from the American Community Survey (ACS) to identify who are Opportunity Youth, as well as program data from five organizations in Hartford to see who was receiving services and of what kind. They also gathered qualitative data from a focus group of eight Opportunity Youth program participants in Hartford. After compiling their research, students learned Tableau to produce data visualizations of their analyses. They found that while most Opportunity Youth in Hartford lived in the South End, most Opportunity Youth who received services lived in the North End. They also found that many Opportunity Youth face challenges including criminal justice involvement and Department of Children and Families (DCF) intervention. | Community Development | http://action-lab.org/opportunity-youth | ||||||||||||||||||||
63 | 2018 | Christopher Carter, Trea Mannello, Carlo Puccio, Antoine Smith | Food Stories in Hartford | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Connecticut Food System Alliance | This project explored how oral histories can be used to make detailed, wordy food policy relevant to and digestible for everyone to encourage widespread advocacy. Each team member researched an area of food policy: food regulations, urban farming, food industry, and food access. Students then conducted and videotaped interviews with six people who were either Hartford residents or have spent the majority of their life in Hartford. Topics ranged from challenges of urban farming to building a career in fast food. Each story was associated with a food policy, such as soil testing requirements and food safety regulations, which directly impacted the narrative. | Food; Community Development | https://action-lab.org/food-stories | ||||||||||||||||||||
64 | 2018 | Alison Odermann, Tyesha Rodriguez, Clinton Triumph | Parent Engagement | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Hartford Public Library | Students looked into best practices for engaging immigrant and refugee parents on topics related to their children’s education. Working with the Hartford Public Library’s Immigrant Youth Project, students researched current immigration and refugee settlement patterns throughout Hartford. They identified ways that other places had engaged immigrant parents in their kids’ education and constructed a qualitative interview and survey instrument to investigate how Hartford’s immigrant parents and adolescent children related to one another through education. They found that, overall, parents were interested and committed to working with their kids’ schools, believing that education was a key to a better life. Despite these beliefs and desires, common barriers such as language differences and work hours sometimes got in the way. When asked about methods to increase engagement, parents were very interested in working on collaborative homework assignments with their kids, like engagement strategies that involved teaching a child to cook a recipe from the home country or interviewing a parent about their early life. They were also in favor of more field trips that they could participate in with their kids. | Education | https://action-lab.org/parent-engagement/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
65 | 2018 | Michael Barlowski, Luke Blough, Haley Dougherty, Massimo Eichner | PILOT Messaging | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Hartford Court of Common Council, Open Communities Alliance | In this project, students investigated how best to message the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program (PILOT) to suburban Hartford residents. Students first conducted interviews and focus groups to learn how suburban residents related to the city and how they understood (or misunderstood) the PILOT program. Then, they created prototypes of messaging products to promote fully funding PILOT. They tested these products in a survey that they promoted through Facebook. They found that most people were unfamiliar with the PILOT program, but that people who knew about the program were more likely to support funding it. | Community Development | https://action-lab.org/pilot-messaging/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
66 | 2018 | Garret Forst, Cecilia Harris, Lindon James | North Hartford Promise Zone Mapping | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Community Solutions International, Inc. | Students learned GIS mapping software and spatial analysis techniques alongside their community partner in order to analyze the results of Community Solutions’ Neighborhood Conditions Survey and investigate the connection between housing conditions and health outcomes in NE Hartford. They produced a series of interactive story maps identifying “hot spots” of blight conditions and connecting these with maps of health disparities affecting the North End of the city. | Housing; Health | https://action-lab.org/mapping-blight/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
67 | 2018 | Lindsay Pressman, Anjenique White | Eviction | Liberal Arts Action Lab | Connecticut Fair Housing Center | In this project, students investigated how Hartford residents came to face eviction, their experiences with the eviction process, and the immediate and long-term ramifications of their evictions on their families. Students designed and implemented a courthouse survey project based on Matthew Desmond’s work in Milwaukee. They surveyed 22 people facing eviction in the city. Of those 22 people, 21 were people of color, 19 were women, and 14 had children living with them, which suggested that people of color and women were over-represented in eviction court based on their share of the Hartford MSA renter population. In their surveys, they found that poor housing conditions were common and sometimes egregious. They also found that stipulation agreements (i.e. eviction plea bargains) were the most common result of the court process, resulting in large fines and a tarnished eviction record for renters. | Housing | https://action-lab.org/eviction/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
68 | 2018 | Josephine Bensa, Giana Moreno, Aulona Zeka, Jane Bisson | Creative Placemaking | Liberal Arts Action Lab | HartBeat Ensemble | This project took a close look at the Nook Farm area of Asylum Hill (which includes the Mark Twain House, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, and Hartbeat Ensemble’s Carriage House Theater), connecting the historical significance of this site for creative and intellectual pursuits with current studies in “creative placemaking”–development projects that leverage the power of the arts, culture, and creativity to serve a community’s interest while avoiding gentrification. After investigating how other places around the country had used creative projects to develop neighborhoods, students surveyed Asylum Hill residents on their views of the neighborhood, their knowledge about neighborhood institutions, and the types of creative placemaking projects that might be interesting to them. They found that residents expressed the most interest in parades and the least interest in gardening. | Arts; Community Development | https://action-lab.org/creative-placemaking/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
69 | 2017 | Grace Metry | KNOX Community Gardens: Growing Crops and Social Capital among Urban Gardeners in Hartford | Community Learning Research Fellows | KNOX | Utilizing Hartford’s green space defined the original mission statement of KNOX. Over the past 50 years, however, KNOX has transformed into an organization that ranges from providing youth with job skills, to growing new urban gardens, to connecting people for the purpose of lowering social barriers and effecting change. Urban scholars note the power of “social capital” to increase opportunities for community activism. Strengthening a community’s social networks makes bridging differences and creating a sense of common purpose possible. We therefore ask the question: Is KNOX utilizing its gardens in the most effective way to increase the social capital of Hartford gardeners and neighborhoods? To answer this question I conducted two semi-structured interviews with community gardeners, 10 semi-structured surveys with KNOX employees, and produced a firsthand description of each garden location. There are currently twenty-two KNOX community gardens and five new gardens in the works. The goals for these gardens should be expanded to incorporate social capital goals, in order to realize the potential for community gains that could not otherwise be achieved. The success of this project depends on the ability to measure the social capital KNOX community gardens are providing now, and identify ways to increase it in the future. | Food; Community Development | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1igB7SaokgkdseqYFN7M1SNElELcQ8TT0 | Metry Poster 2017-2018 | |||||||||||||||||||
70 | 2017 | Henry Chavez | Perspectives on The Hartford Consortium for Higher Education | Community Learning Research Fellows | The Hartford Consortium for Higher Education | The Hartford Consortium for Higher Education’s (HCHE) mission is to create a hub of partnerships between member institutions and with local organizations and businesses in the downtown Hartford area. One of the biggest barriers to achieving this mission lies in not fully understanding the different relationships that each institution has with the City of Hartford. Due to different institutional models, location, student bodies and resources, it's critically important to understand what exact outcome each institution wishes to achieve through its HCHE membership and with its relationship to the city. By more fully understanding these differences, the HCHE can create a more comprehensive plan to bring together colleges in the Greater Hartford area to do meaningful, collaborative work, strengthening the profile of the entire city. This research explores three topics that the consortia needed more clarification on from its members, including: perspectives on the HCHE, communication between faculty and students across campus, and transportation. Data collected through interviews with consortia representations for each member institution reveals that there is a wide scope of different opinions on all three of these topics. Among all members, there is a common underlying theme of not being able to articulate how they can and want to use HCHE as a resource. Additionally, members appreciate connecting faculty and students across campuses, but disagree on what demographic the consortia directly serves and have different opinions on the role of transportation in the city. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VHo9VHiHW9HZ-rmlevmkvC4y0-oqXMkB | Chavez Poster 2017-2018 | |||||||||||||||||||
71 | 2017 | Ken Haas | Investing in Hartford’s Diverse Communities: Analysis of Financial Institutions’ Record of Mortgages in the Metro Hartford Area | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Community Loan Fund | Poster 1: How well are different urban areas and communities served by traditional financial institutions? Are some communities persistently underserved, and if so, what are the factors that explain under-investment in those areas? Our project explores these questions by examining bank mortgage lending in the metro Hartford area. We employ a multi-method approach to the analysis of individual-level data and a two-stage quantitative analysis of neighborhood-level data in order to uncover the factors behind varying levels of bank mortgage lending. We find that the approval rate of individual mortgage applications differs by race, and that the neighborhood in which a dwelling is found affects mortgage approvals. These findings point to the next step in our research project, and underpin the importance of community-based institutions that advocate on behalf of underserved Hartford communities for greater access to banking services and investment. Increased homeownership and investment in local businesses are critical for community revitalization. Poster 2: Lending by banks for home mortgages varies greatly across neighborhoods. Do neighborhoods in which lending is high, or in which lending is low, have anything in common? Several studies have found a relationship between bank lending and the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhood in which the house is located. This study looks across neighborhoods in the Hartford Metropolitan Area in 2011 and in 2015 to see if these same demographic and socioeconomic characteristics are significant in explaining the variation in bank loans for home mortgages. The neighborhood characteristics that are important in explaining the variation in banking lending include the percentage of minority households in the local census tracts, the percentage of owner-occupied dwellings, the level of poverty, and the median income level in the neighborhood. | Housing | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mbiKgZ-0SrPvg-iQYZQxrAsu0WIA-kcp | Haas Poster 2017-2018 | |||||||||||||||||||
72 | 2018 | Larisa Bogomolov | Building New Britain Avenue: Community-based Action, Small Business, and Neighborhood Revitalization | Community Learning Research Fellows | Southwest and Behind the Rocks NRZ | Spring 2018 Project: The Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ) of Southwest and Behind the Rocks is one of fourteen community advocacy groups in Hartford whose mission is to improve the quality of life for its residents. Working with the NRZ last semester, I gathered basic data on the local business community and, more importantly, on the neighborhood issues that were most critical to local business owners. The goal was to determine whether business owners would be willing to work with one another and with the NRZ, and, if so, what factors would encourage such collaboration. Our survey results identified four promising areas on which to base collaboration: public safety; infrastructure, streetscape and parking; street traffic; and building a sense of community. This semester’s work focuses on how the NRZ can use this information in order to support revitalization efforts. The first step in this work was to design and run an NRZ-local business conference. This step emphasized building relationships. The second step involved connecting lessons from the literature on community-based action to the operations of the NRZ itself in order to strengthen its organizational capabilities. Our findings suggest the importance of setting clear goals on the part of the NRZ; strengthening its own organizational structures and practices; and creating a more visible presence for the NRZ through marketing and media. The NRZ must now ensure its priorities and goals align with these lessons. | Community Development | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K7rfrsGWCUMWpshwFxIl5gdPMMgkjIOz/view?usp=sharing | ||||||||||||||||||||
73 | 2017 | Larisa Bogomolov | Small Business and Community Development along New Britain Avenue | Community Learning Research Fellows | Southwest and Behind the Rocks NRZ | Fall 2017 Project: The Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ) of the Southwest and Behind the Rocks neighborhood is one of fourteen community advocacy groups in Hartford whose mission is to improve the quality of life for its residents. The NRZ has identified several challenges for the neighborhood, including the absence of needed business services and support for economic development; poor infrastructure and streetscape; public safety concerns; and a lack of representation from the community in deciding what and how to solve issues. A review of the literature on successful community-based development stresses that by pairing small business development with community development, more can be achieved than by pursuing them separately. To achieve this twin goal, strong communication and coordination between businesses and community-based organizations, such as the NRZ, are needed. With this in mind, my research focuses on identifying and comparing the list of concerns voiced by small business owners and the NRZ, with the aim of uncovering possible areas for cooperation. I find that, as a group, business owners worry about similar issues and hold common opinions about the needs of the neighborhood, some of which align with the work of the NRZ. Additionally, some owners, upon hearing about the NRZ for the first time, express willingness to attend a community meeting. These results suggest the possibility for achieving greater representation from the community in identifying and solving issues, which can contribute to the NRZ’s goal of improving the quality of life in the neighborhood. | Community Development | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ezC8xwwGKEPnBq1dL-WInQFEpvcQbwAP | Bogomolov Poster 2017-2018 | |||||||||||||||||||
74 | 2017 | Nick Branchina, Jack Clark, Kyle Scheffers, Nhat Pham | Applying for a Mortage in the Hartford MDSA: Does Neighborhood Matter? | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Community Loan Fund | Lending by banks for home mortgages varies greatly across neighborhoods. Do neighborhoods in which mortgage lending is high, or in which lending is low, have anything in common? Several studies done in metropolitan areas, such as St. Louis and Baltimore, have found a relationship between lending for mortgages and the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhood in which the house is located. This study uses two different multiple regression techniques to see if demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhood in which the house is located in the Hartford Metropolitan Area are significant in explaining the variation in home mortgages approvals. First, we use regression analysis to see if the variation in loan approvals in a neighborhood depends upon the demographic and socioeconomic characteristic of that neighborhood, controlling for other factors that might affect loan approval. We find that neighborhoods with a high number of owner occupied dwelling, a low percentage of poverty, and a high neighborhood income (relative to the region) have more loan approvals (per dwellings). This led us to ask if when a lender is making the decision to approve or deny a loan, the characteristics of the neighborhood in which the house is located matters in their decision. We used logistic regression analysis to see if the probability of an individual’s loan being approved depends upon neighborhood, controlling for other factors that may influence the lender’s decision. We found that at the individual level, neighborhood does not matter. Therefore, we conclude that the real reason there are more approvals in “better” neighborhoods is that there are more applications in those neighborhoods. The next step is to discover why. | Housing | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1d3k-_MSbFhCFlVrmF-ewZY1oYeX8agJv | ||||||||||||||||||||
75 | 2017 | Daisuke Katsumata | What Do You Mean I Got a D+? Effects of Feedback on Metacognition, Motivation and Academic Performance in High School Students | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy | Numerous studies have established feedback as being among the most effective ways to improve student achievement. However, not all studies have defined feedback in the same way. This means that the effectiveness of feedback has depended on how it is defined and the context in which it is provided (Hattie & Timperely, 2007). This project investigates if changes in student academic achievement, motivation, and metacognition vary based on the type of feedback students are provided on assignments. Students were given either grades alongside traditional forms of minimal written feedback, or no grades alongside elaborate but targeted written feedback. The students in the study were enrolled in two sections of a high school world history class at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy. All feedback was provided by Ms. Debra Avery over the course of a four-week instructional unit. The effectiveness of the type of feedback was assessed before the unit began and at the end of the unit by measuring scores from a comprehension-based test, and by questionnaires that asked about student metacognition and motivation. Student perceptions on the usefulness of feedback were also collected to assess the level of engagement students had with the feedback they received. Students were able to learn more effectively by the end of the unit when given no grades alongside enhanced feedback; however, students did not necessarily perceive their own growth within the four-week span of the study. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WcPhBH80pGGw9G27htS2Q28RP9Qc-lUm | ||||||||||||||||||||
76 | 2018 | Chelsea Armistead | Infant Mortality and Maternal Health in Hartford, CT | Community Learning Research Fellows | Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Infant Outreach Program, City of Hartford | Infant mortality is the death of an infant within the first year of life. These deaths are measured annually as a rate per every 1,000 live births and are a key indicator about maternal and infant health in a society (CDC, 2017). The U.S. infant mortality rate is very high when compared to other equally wealthy nations. Black infants die at a much higher rate than other racial groups, including in Connecticut. The city of Hartford's Department of Health and Human Services strives to reduce infant mortality by providing quality prenatal and postpartum care programs and services. In 2013, the Maternal and Child Health Division (MCHD) developed a Strategic Plan with specific objectives to monitor these deaths in the hope of reducing them. The present study analyzed the vital records of live births (N = 11,552) and infant mortalities (N = 105) from 2010 to 2015 to chart the progress on several specific goals of the MCHD by comparing Pre-Plan (2010-2012) and Post-Plan (2013-2015) groups. The comparisons show that MCHD has met its goals in several but not all areas for data available up to 2015. It is recommended that extending the Strategic Plan and, where possible, analyzing the data more quickly would encourage better-tailored objectives that can be reached in a timely manner. | Health | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jNZz0vitSzZAsRPvQBMJXN9xy_q1VROC | ||||||||||||||||||||
77 | 2018 | Adelaide Jenkins & Jillian Ramsay | Learning to Learn: Effects of Gender and Grade Level | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy | This study is a continuation of the ongoing metacognition project between Trinity College’s Department of Psychology and the Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA). This project investigates the metacognitive awareness and skills of middle school students with the aim of understanding better the factors that contribute to students’ metacognition and motivation to learn. The present study examines whether students use the same or different learning skills in different school subjects, and whether there exist gender and/or developmental effects in the ways students of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade use metacognition in two different subject areas, Social Studies and Mathematics. The goal of this study is to address gaps in the research related to these topics. Few studies to date have addressed developmental and gender effects of metacognition and those that have report inconsistent findings. Our results show significant effects of gender and development on metacognition: female students tend to be higher in metacognition and motivation than boys, while metacognition skills stay the same among students from sixth to eighth grade. These findings suggest the need for continuing research in this area and preliminarily support an approach to teaching that targets students who tend to show lower metacognition and motivation to ensure greater academic success and a passion for learning. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EQ7HIw9Gfea6Xf6G00oAGW7Xz_lwreDz | ||||||||||||||||||||
78 | 2016 | Michelle Treglia | Hispanic Media to Reach a Targeted Audience | Community Learning Research Fellows | CT Department of Consumer Protection | Hispanic Americans make up a large portion of the population in Connecticut and Hartford. This population overwhelmingly uses Hispanic media sources to get their news. However, there is not a comprehensive list of those media sources that can be easily accessed by the CT Department of Consumer Protection or by community organizations whose mission is to work effectively with this population. In order to meet this need, field data was collected from Hispanic individuals in Hartford and media sources throughout Connecticut about the use of different Hispanic media sources and their targeted audience. This information allows the CT Department of Consumer Protection or community organizations working with the Hispanic population to target media platforms to reach their desired population. | Hispanic Studies | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZTQZmlzOlgkBy0eqrIBX2Sfmlny-4lHy | Treglia Poster 2016-2017 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bi3t2Shl5WVricBl9s-G0_dCokTFAv6i | ||||||||||||||||||
79 | 2017 | Jennifer Tran | Biking in Hartford | Community Learning Research Fellows | Department of Development Services, City of Hartford | The city of Hartford lags behind other mid-sized, post-industrial, Northeast cities in the U.S. in biking infrastructure and demand for biking. Since many low-income people without cars must rely on the inefficient bus system and walking, biking can become an alternative option that better mobilizes them to access key institutions such as jobs, education, and healthcare. With a high number of low-income peoples and immigrant groups, Hartford has the potential to expand its demand for biking past many cities. The city of Hartford faces major obstacles that prevents it from developing the most comprehensive biking infrastructure, but with partnerships with the biking community and the use of different strategies to incorporate bike lanes, the city of Hartford can overcome the obstacles. In order to alleviate financial costs, the city of Hartford should aim to focus on the bike lanes that currently exist in the city and develop bike lanes on less busy streets as supposed to main streets. The city of Hartford can consolidate and share resources by partnering with biking community organizations such as individual bike advocates and bicycle co-ops. These individuals and groups have already established programs that connect low-income peoples and immigrants to biking and would highly benefit from the exposure of a partnership with the city of Hartford. | Sustainability | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1TsYLPJvHio9tmYr2-HpHD2tSO_c_NzbU | Tran Product 2016-2017 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IEm2j-hQtmWWO9Q9zwP6pZo6xVD3P_Yp | ||||||||||||||||||
80 | 2016 | Ana Romano | The Realignment of the Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis CLI with Sixth Grade Science Standards | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy | The next generation will experience a large shortage in scientists due to the loss of interest of middle school students in STEM fields. In efforts to increase middle school students’ interest in STEM topics, the Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis chemistry class (CHEM 312) at Trinity College has partnered with a Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy sixth grade classroom for the past three year to do a water testing experiment. Recently, the sixth grade curriculum discontinued the study of the water cycle and, instead, includes an in-depth section on soil. Through interviews with sixth grade teachers and college professors, consulting research on curriculum studies, performing weak acid soil digestion and soil analysis through inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), this research redesigned the combined campus activity (the community learning initiative) to involve soil analysis instead of water analysis while engaging both the college and sixth grade students. This project has produced both sixth grade classroom materials and an NPK soil analysis test kit to be used on the day of the combined campus activity as well as a procedure for weak acid soil digestion by ICP-AES analysis to be used after the combined campus activity by the CHEM 312 students. | Education; Science | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WFlb8Pf4-GTcSg1IwY0FoSgaYf6MJcpB | Romano Poster 2016-2017 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1F1hr3MHPwLN8nrLHPZCBhRpj4bFZTTI6 | ||||||||||||||||||
81 | 2016 | Chinmay Rayarikar | Economic Survey of Refugees in the Hartford Region | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs | There is very little literature that deals with how well refugees in the United States compare to other groups in the region of their residence. There are certain secondary sources that talk of a “refugee gap”. In this project, I tried to understand the extent of this gap in the Hartford metropolitan region in Connecticut. This will form a preliminary part of the solution to the problem of understanding how refugees can do better in economic terms in the region. I conducted surveys of those who are in the Hartford metropolitan region as refugees or asylum seekers, and collected anonymized information on their income levels, economic sector of work, educational qualifications, and issues they have faced with recredentialisation. The results show that there is indeed a significant disparity in incomes between refugees and non-refugees in the Hartford metropolitan region, and many refugees face significant challenges in using their educational credentials from their home countries when they come to the United States, and have to go through a lengthy process of recredentialisation. | Human Rights; Immigration | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Etbmxa0P2qKTSc-5KExjknMG2QDXgpxN | Rayarikar Poster 2016-2017 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=16NtjTSQYjszc8590SxUwZOlPhu8hDkfC | ||||||||||||||||||
82 | 2016 | Cara Midlige | Community Perceptions of Resource Inequities in Hartford’s District and Magnet Schools | Community Learning Research Fellows | Southwest/Behind the Rocks NRZ | The Connecticut State Constitution states that all children “should have equal opportunity to receive a suitable program of educational experience.” However, post Sheff v. O’Neill, the legal battle that fought to provide equitable schools for all Connecticut children, many Hartford students still do not receive equal educations. My project seeks to understand the intersection of school desegregation and funding in one neighborhood in Hartford, as well as the parent perceptions of the lack of resources between the district and magnet schools in the neighborhood. In addition, this project will examine the perceptions of policy initiatives to rectify equity problems in schools. Findings are based primarily from observations in community Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ) meetings and interviews with NRZ Education Committee members and neighborhood residents, supported with primary source documents about the schools. My research shows that while there are generally less resources in district schools than magnet schools when it came to school programming and facilities, funding is a much more complicated issue. In addition, perceptions of these resource differences vary between neighborhood residents and NRZ members, as both groups use different methods for assessing the resources in the neighborhood schools. Lastly, policy implications on the neighborhood was a contentious issue that NRZ members were adamant contributed to these issues and pointed to two examples of policy that has affected resources and in turn funding for the schools, inadvertently leaving magnet schools more resourced than district schools. | Education | https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/theses/622/ | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GnTdbdGhRRfl0CkMZjiBLuHpgc-AkU71 | Midlige Poster 2016-2017 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pkTc4ySK_6g9kWLYRTBwifiiaOqD_Ist | |||||||||||||||||
83 | 2017 | Lisa Lee, Annabelle Regalado, and Evan Scollard | Enriching Student Success through a Metacognitive School-Based Intervention | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy | Metacognition, the awareness of one’s own learning, can be divided into five distinct steps (Ambrose et al., 2010). Moreover, metacognition can be measured through offline (retrospective self-report questionnaires) or online assessments (asking students to explain their decision making during a problem solving task, called “think-aloud”). The current study assessed the effectiveness of a think-aloud assessment using The Oregon Trail game to measure metacognition, in comparison to a self-report measure of metacognition, the Metacognition Five (MC5). The Oregon Trail, which is metacognitive in nature, is a videogame designed to teach students about the journey of the pioneers and the obstacles they faced during the era of Westward Expansion in the United States during the 19th century. The students play the game as the wagon leader that tries to successfully take his or her party from Independence, Missouri to Oregon. Of additional interest was whether there was a relationship between academic grades and performance on The Oregon Trail task. Participants played the game for twenty minutes as the researcher tallied their game play behavior and asked them to explain their reasoning behind key game play decisions. Both behavioral tallies and coded statements from the think-aloud procedure were positively correlated with academic performance and with scores on the MC5 measures. Due to the small sample size (n=15) these correlations were not statistically significant but were in the predicted direction. The study demonstrated the potential usefulness of online assessments of metacognition. | Education | https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/theses/669/ | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1F21-OvWqoTzn1tB9Fz-StE9SmIlHrrj1 | Lee, Regalado, and Scollard Product 2016-2017 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ulxMY6SRrPxYQkqUK8E5_Of1bPfh8Eu7 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sbzG3oY4UiwXl3MM3_sqgVFGxCf9SUoL | ||||||||||||||||
84 | 2016 | Michelle Herbert | Spanish-Speaking Parents and School Choice | Community Learning Research Fellows | The Center for Latino Progress | School choice is one of the more current education reform movements in the United States, which often uses a market based approach to provide racial integration or consumer-style choices in public education in an effort to improve school quality, and sometimes both. Hartford has a robust school choice system which includes interdistrict magnet schools and interdistrict transfers with local suburban district schools. English Language Learner (ELL) students have been identified as underrepresented in these racially integrated schools. This research seeks to identify how the type of support received by Spanish-speaking Hartford parents influenced their school choices. Evidence gathered through interviews with nine Spanish-speaking parents of school age children who live in Hartford suggests that most Spanish-speaking parents who received early formal support during the school choice process were more aware of a wider range of options. Therefore, they often sent their children to higher opportunity magnet or suburban Open Choice schools. In addition, engaging Spanish-speaking parents in the early school years is important for increasing participation in the interdistrict school choice system because they are unlikely to move their children from their current schools once established. | Education; Hispanic Studies | https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/theses/612/ | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YD8i4UAG3hKtbt25vE5ji7s26U76fwo5 | Herbert Poster 2016-2017 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ekT0pOjeKtIX29FB90BuOzqheJhqeB-D | |||||||||||||||||
85 | 2016 | Matthew Laccavole | Oral Healthcare for Medicaid Enrollees in Connecticut: Why are the Gains Being Erased? | Community Learning Research Fellows | United Connecticut Action for Neighborhoods | Enacting and maintaining an efficient and high-quality safety net program is one component of a well-run state. In the last two years, cuts to the Connecticut state budget have adversely affected the services offered to residents who rely on the state, including those using the Husky Medicaid program for oral health care. Data reveal that Medicaid enrollees have decreased their use of dental services. This research examines this drop in the utilization rate and the possible factors contributing to it. Qualitative research methods were employed: first, a review of existing policy reports and briefings by health care experts was undertaken. This was followed by in- depth interviews with six stakeholders, a dental practice phone survey to test dental practice capacity levels, and a comparative review of oral health care policies used in other states. Findings suggest that the stagnant reimbursement rate for treating Medicaid patients is the leading factor in declining dental utilization rates by CT Medicaid patients; however, other important factors appear to play a role in this decline. In particular, the administrative quality of the state program impacts access to dental health services for Medicaid enrollees. Policy makers should put on hold any plans to decrease the reimbursement rate while they complete a more in-depth study of the best approaches to providing state-run dental health care programs. | Health | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kkFRmBAE55omRLpx2dgtRFbETeH7Kl9V | Laccavole Poster 2016-2017 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=189KDImEdm7CJ6E0jGD7YyhZ6NEnwLdCh | ||||||||||||||||||
86 | 2016 | Doug Curtin | Rhetoric is not Reality: How Policymakers, Professionals and Parents Define Parental Engagement | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Foundation for Public Giving | A new Connecticut pilot program for low- income families has attempted to actively engage parents in the planning and decision process to provide a holistic approach to comprehensive workforce services. This study analyzes perceptions of parental engagement gathered from interviews with policymakers, professionals and parents. Results show that in this program policymakers, professionals, and parents agree that parental engagement was a deliberate ac=on to incorporate parent voice and create parent leaders for long-term success of the program. Policymakers and professionals disagreed on the level of leadership and amount of training necessary for successful parental engagement. Recommendations include aligning expectations and definitions across stakeholders to increase the likelihood of successful parental engagement in the future. | Education | https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/theses/617/ | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QByCueSsqKRRCjUFTcNEYm31wN7gz8O5 | Curtin Poster 2016-2017 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PmubhlNiC4muf7xXywaUtlGEqLgwzg9Z | |||||||||||||||||
87 | 2015 | Martha Kelly and Jacqueline Wostbrock | The Road Less Travelled: First Experiences of Nontraditional-Age Students at Trinity College | Community Learning Research Fellows | Individualized Degree Program, Trinity College | Trinity College’s Individualized Degree Program (IDP), founded in 1973 for students over the age of 23, attracts nontraditional-age students to Trinity. We examined the application process and early retention efforts carried out by IDP and made recommendations to strengthen those activities. Recent studies suggest that colleges that encourage adult students to enroll must reduce obstacles in the application process and structure the initial phase of transition to college, because older students face unique challenges. Using a qualitative research approach, we interviewed thirteen IDP students. Our findings will help shape the IDP program’s outreach to the targeted population. More broadly, because IDP students come from and stay in the greater Hartford region, they help to support Trinity College’s goals to “integrate Hartford across the curriculum,” and have “positive impacts on the local community.” | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rKJcEv8flDiX6KcBCb1KgvI-Hk8Mls3V | Kelly and Wostbrock Poster 2015-2016 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GW2LRlFxOjGBfgqWx2xkUkB1t1V9SUuf | ||||||||||||||||||
88 | 2016 | Elizabeth Caporale | Enriching Student Success through Metacognitive School-Based Intervention: Following Students from Middle School into High School | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy | Problem: Current research suggests strong links among metacognition, motivation, and academic success. However, few longitudinal studies which investigate how metacognition and motivation develop over .me exist. Our research consists of two related studies regarding the development of metacognition and motivation in middle and high school students and is a follow-up intervention studies with 8th grade students, conducted in 2013-14 and 2014-15 at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy. What is metacognition? Comprehension of and control over one’s own cognitive processes. Project: Studied current 9th and 10th grade students who in 8th grade, either participated in Learn 2 Learn (experimental metacognitive training condition) College Knowledge (control condition) or neither (students did not participate in study or did not attend HMTCA 8th grade). STUDY 1: Compared 9th and 10th grade students’ metacognition and motivation. STUDY 2: Tracked individual students’ metacognitive skill and motivational development from 8th grade to either 9th or 10th grade. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1i9Zu4O-lyTcSmkopUoBO7V5ZO6UUwyt_ | Caporale Poster 2015-2016 | |||||||||||||||||||
89 | 2016 | Bettina Gonzalez and Lauren Thomann | Learn 2 Learn: A Metacognitive Intervention | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy | Problem: Although research has shown a strong link between metacognition and academic performance, most school curricula do not include explicit metacognitive instruction. What is metacognition? Comprehension of and control over one’s own cognitive processes. Our project aimed to improve learning and academic performance in middle school-aged students by implementing a metacognitive intervention in the history curriculum. • Compared developmental differences between 6th and 8th graders. • Executed intervention based on group work and interactive cognitive discussions to foster the students’ knowledge and use of metacognitive strategies. • Four 6th grade history sections taught by one teacher and four 8th grade history sections taught by another teacher participated in the study; this allowed us to control for teacher effects. • Two sections for each grade were randomly assigned to the experimental group (Learn 2 Learn) and the other two for each grade to the control group (Know How 2-HI School or College Knowledge). • Added engagement and anxiety measures to motivation to assess their roles in metacognition. | Education | https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/theses/593/; https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/theses/597/ | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ILFiXfOSZYYV7fN91x7EIeO4eMBB5QRW | Gonzalez and Thomann Poster 2015-2016 | ||||||||||||||||||
90 | 2015 | Elaina Rollins | Teachers and the Common Core in Connecticut | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Public Schools | Forty-two states across the country have adopted the Common Core State Standards, a set of K-12 education benchmarks for English Language Arts and math designed to unify academic expectations and prepare students for college and careers. However, while state governments initially chose whether or not to adopt the standards, previous research has shown that successful implementation of this policy ultimately lies in the hands of local educators. My study therefore seeks to understand how a group of teachers interpret and act on the Common Core State Standards and in what ways these educators use creative teaching strategies to move beyond the expectations of the Common Core. Findings are based primarily on responses from ten semi-structured interviews with elementary school teachers in an urban public school in Hartford, Connecticut, in the fall of 2015. My research shows that while teachers embrace the pedagogical messages of the Common Core, these educators also actively revise and refine their teaching methods in order to use the standards as a tool for teaching important life skills. By viewing student academic struggle as an opportunity for growth, teachers use the Common Core to teach ambition, self-sufficiency, and resiliency. | Education | https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/theses/531/ | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1miNDbU9fNvx0DSJTh5ToAT-lnleQ9IUk | Rollins Poster 2015-2016 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=169iwNW5ZiutfIo7Pj-5fsNU3lXoUFVaP | |||||||||||||||||
91 | 2015 | Isabelle Moore | Fighting the Hartford Food Desert | Community Learning Research Fellows | Billings Forge Community Works | The purpose of my research was to observe and evaluate a community run food access focus group with the intention of providing my community partner with a report on the preliminary success of the project. I found that the program was positively received by one hundred percent of survey respondents, and by the third meeting each participant could give a specific example of something they learned about improving their access to food. The proposed solutions include actions that can be taken by individual residents, by the community, and by the government. I was inspired to take on this project after spending my Spring Break working on an urban organic farm in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Throughout the week I learned about how food access is directly related to social justice and economic equality. When I returned to Hartford I decided that I wanted to learn more about the food system located in Trinity’s neighborhood. | Food; Community Development | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mD49apOysI6aLHUNRffUWwXU8Pp2okaz | Moore Poster 2015-2016 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1C1DC3YdQvK8K8ND2uy86mDwjhW7xSAPt | ||||||||||||||||||
92 | 2016 | Lyndsay Brattan | Factors that Promote Engagement in a Youth Violence Prevention Program | Community Learning Research Fellows | Diamond Consultants | Youth in Hartford, CT are exposed to violence in their community at a disproportionately higher rate than youth residing in suburban and rural communities throughout the state. Within Connecticut, Hartford has a rating of five on the crime scale (100 meaning the safest) compared to West Hartford which is rated as 32 and Wethersfield, rated 54. Numerous school- and community-based programs have been established to confront this epidemic; however, less is known about the specific components of these programs that maximize youth engagement. My study seeks to understand the factors that affect participation in a youth violence prevention program. Findings are based on responses from a focus group with seven Peacebuilder facilitators in Hartford, Connecticut, in the spring of 2016. My research shows that factors such as mentor credibility and flexibility in implementing the curriculum may contribute to the success of engaging youth in a violence prevention program. | Health; Education | https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/theses/590/ | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xiUu9derIIo3evNFHceHExC_3gC5E9Tb | Brattan Poster 2015-2016 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_CSjHSEouHZhsiV39hb5viXBdPJSbmH8 | |||||||||||||||||
93 | 2015 | Emy Farrow-German and Kaitlyn Sprague | Preparing to Create a Neighborhood Multicultural Center | Community Learning Research Fellows | Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association | The Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association (AHNA), our community partner, would like to strengthen communication and interaction among the many culturally distinct groups in the Asylum Hill neighborhood. They believe there is a common desire for a safe communal space where immigrants and ethnic groups of all backgrounds could come together. A neighborhood multicultural center could provide such a place in the Asylum Hill neighborhood, where socialization and learning among groups can occur. This center would strengthen the neighborhood at large, and potentially the City of Hartford. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of existing centers in the U.S. similar to AHNA’s vision. Our research, of community and cultural centers with similar attributes and of case studies, revealed characteristics we believe necessary for the success of AHNA’s multicultural center. In addition, our research on organizational structure and recent immigrant tendencies, led us to conclude that AHNA could benefit greatly by constructing a comprehensive needs assessment survey, by evaluating their organizational structure, and deciding on a thematic focus. | Community Development | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mTU_bO60VZQLVM6sL7O5Fn67hLY3-53s | Farrow-German and Sprague Poster 2015-2016 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1F8D8uhBKmlKNvUnBXsqyGi1Sqjv3x1i4 | ||||||||||||||||||
94 | 2014 | Chloe Shiras | FAQ of Resources and Services for Immigrants in Connecticut | Community Learning Research Fellows | The American Place, Hartford Public Library | New immigrants face many cultural, economic, and language barriers upon arriving in the United States. Due to these barriers, they rely heavily on the services provided to them by governmental agencies and community based organizations. However, many of these services are not advertised to the immigrant population and are difficult to navigate. Further, for undocumented immigrants, many essen.al services are simply not available for them. This research project will develop a comprehensive list of services available to immigrants in Connecticut, with a focus on services for undocumented immigrants, based off of the most common questions that immigrants have asked at The American Place at the Hartford Public Library. This form will be produced through research and conversations with service providers in Connecticut, the public school system, and branches of local government. While researching services at several government agencies and other service providers, it has become clear that some officials and administrators are unaware of the protocols and services for the undocumented population. However, the services available, especially involving public schools and community based organizations, have been identified and recorded and will serve to help Hartford’s immigrant population. The production of this Frequently Asked Questions sheet will serve as a lesson for the public as it will make visible the lack of resources for the undocumented immigrant community and show the need for comprehensive immigration reform in order for all people to receive basic human services. | Human Rights; Immigration | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qb4hvlSQBa49atEsXUWjgOe-SW05WJWP | Shiras Poster 2014-2015 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ID-Aa1SiJgKJBGZHYjWBd0A9C4AyNwBj | ||||||||||||||||||
95 | 2015 | Minh Anh Nguyen and Minh H. Nguyen | Spatial Analysis of Students Residing in Metro Hartford in HPS-run Magnet Schools, 2011-12 and 2012-13 | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Public Schools and Achieve Hartford! | New immigrants face many cultural, economic, and language barriers upon arriving in the United States. Due to these barriers, they rely heavily on the services provided to them by governmental agencies and community based organizations. However, many of these services are not advertised to the immigrant population and are difficult to navigate. Further, for undocumented immigrants, many essen.al services are simply not available for them. This research project will develop a comprehensive list of services available to immigrants in Connecticut, with a focus on services for undocumented immigrants, based off of the most common questions that immigrants have asked at The American Place at the Hartford Public Library. This form will be produced through research and conversations with service providers in Connecticut, the public school system, and branches of local government. While researching services at several government agencies and other service providers, it has become clear that some officials and administrators are unaware of the protocols and services for the undocumented population. However, the services available, especially involving public schools and community based organizations, have been identified and recorded and will serve to help Hartford’s immigrant population. The production of this Frequently Asked Questions sheet will serve as a lesson for the public as it will make visible the lack of resources for the undocumented immigrant community and show the need for comprehensive immigration reform in order for all people to receive basic human services. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ILhrkCMVbF6XWP9Y8f4VsGOvTzEJJsBW | Nguyen and Nguyen Poster 2014-2015 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LueqJ6TBXgDqntHqibMa4SrzFM6Bhq06 | ||||||||||||||||||
96 | 2015 | Sean Navin | Reducing Recidivism in Hartford | Community Learning Research Fellows | Community Partners in Action | The act of repeat offending or recidivism has become a prevalent issue nationwide. Areas with high recidivism rates are correlated with disparities in education, minority imprisonment, and socioeconomic status. Hartford currently has a high recidivism rate of 60%. I conducted interviews with ex-offenders in Hartford, and did a comparative analysis of cities nationally. States vary in their calculations of recidivism, making comparative analysis challenging. I worked with Community Partners in Action (CPA) in Hartford which assists ex-offenders assimilating into society. End of Sentence (EOS) folks are not included in CPA’s program. Project STARR’s approach of addressing multiple diverse needs of clients, showed a recidivism rate of just 9.7%. By addressing the diverse needs of EOS people, it could reduce recidivism rates in Hartford. Recidivism could be reduced nationally if proven effective programs are duplicated throughout the country. | Human Rights | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1T_FBBvQpQhEBTCDZwpuV__E4QW_y7ywH | Navin Poster 2014-2015 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1E5oggctvCsvi2xdrg9PJD5uYoZozJGx0 | ||||||||||||||||||
97 | 2015 | Melody Fulton and Jennifer Schackner | Enhancing Metacognition and Mindfulness in Middle School Students: Can Simultaneous Interventions Improve Academic Performance? | Community Learning Research Fellows | Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy | Students at HMTCA do not receive explicit metacognitive or mindfulness instruction in the classroom. Research on metacognition has shown a strong link between students’ metacognitive abilities and their subsequent academic performance, yet most teachers do not provide explicit metacognitive instruction in the classroom. Similarly, literature on mindfulness suggests that mindful practice can improve students’ self-regulatory skills and executive functioning, yet mindfulness is rarely incorporated into school curricula. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of simultaneous interventions related to these two components by working with five eighth-grade social studies classes at HMTCA taught by one teacher. An eight-week metacognitive intervention was designed based on the Ambrose et al. model of metacognition in order to foster students’ use of metacognitive skills. In addition, an eight-week mindfulness curriculum was developed to cultivate students’ present-moment awareness. The five sections were divided among the separate conditions: two sections were randomly assigned to the Metacognitive Intervention, one section to the Mindfulness Intervention, one section to the combined Metacognition and Mindfulness Intervention, and one section as the control group. With pre and post-testing quantitative and qualitative measures, we assessed the students’ levels of metacognition and mindfulness in conjunction with grade changes from the first to third marking period. Findings from these analyses will be presented. | Education | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NoWgs1Xii1Nj8j1j339Sgnrotl9knpE3 | Fulton and Schackner Poster 2014-2015 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1owDV0awGa7FVdrW1VQsEIm_BQB56YSp5 | ||||||||||||||||||
98 | 2015 | Salima Etoka | Refugee Resettlement in Hartford | Community Learning Research Fellows | Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association | Resettlement agencies in Hartford play a key role in refugee resettlement. These agencies assist with housing, employment and other services. After six months, these agencies no longer receive federal funding to continue services. This project examines the successes and challenges of connecting refugees to services for employment, housing and the pressures that refugees face during the period of resettlement and post-resettlement. Interviews are the methodological focus of this project. The goal of the project is to outline the best practices, challenges and lessons learned from the resettlement process for refugees in Hartford with my community partner, Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association. | Human Rights; Immigration | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WNVDwI6utxeJcfI30xdcDmF9_kW_rqRb | Etoka Poster 2014-2015 | |||||||||||||||||||
99 | 2014 | Victoria Smith Ellison | Hopeful Homecomings: Women, Prison Reentry and the Arts | Community Learning Research Fellows | Judy Dworin Performance Project | Previous studies have highlighted the importance of having gender-responsive programs for women involved in the criminal justice system, that address their different needs, separate from men. Formerly incarcerated women face many challenges as they transition from prison back into society. There are an increasing number of artists with an interest in providing arts programming for this special population as a tool for rehabilitation and transformation. Using website analyses, survey responses, and interview transcriptions, this comparative qualitative study explores why and how three different arts organizations – Poetic Justice Project, Prison Creative Arts Project, and the Judy Dworin Performance Project – use various art approaches to help formerly incarcerated women transition from prison back into society. Although these organizations are limited in resources, my findings suggest that the arts programs provide a community of support for formerly incarcerated women, increase their self-sufficiency, and increase public awareness about incarceration and those affected. | Arts; Human Rights | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DPut05VJOa7sBTuk6Jv1ddnK5wPoaO_F | Ellison Poster 2014-2015 | |||||||||||||||||||
100 | 2014 | Richelle Benjamin | Common Core Conversations in Connecticut: Analyzing Public Testimonies | Community Learning Research Fellows | CT Parent Power | The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is an effort to minimize the learning gap between high- and low-achieving students in the United States by providing a set of standards all students must meet by the end of each grade level. Although 46 states already adopted the CCSS, there are varied opinions on the effectiveness of this new reform. This research examined the opinions of citizens in Connecticut, using written testimonies from a public hearing that took place in Hartford on March 12, 2014. The results show that two groups express support of the CCSS: statewide organizations and suburban administrators, who believe that the CCSS will create students who are globally competitive and better prepared for college and careers because the standards are challenging. On the other hand, suburban teachers and suburban parents are opponents of the CCSS because the standards are too rigorous and focus on test-taking rather than critical thinking skills. The results of this research suggest that speakers may vary their support of the CCSS based on how they perceive the Core’s effects within or outside the school. | Education | https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/theses/448/ | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zjva3WT3bF867wH0dV_sb6plK9r8nptl | Benjamin Poster 2014-2015 | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NKbQ1DwTvt5KcNGGZAMPFb8POUErX0X- |