Programs and Partnerships
The Office of Community Education Partnerships (OCEP) bridges the research, practice, and service missions of the School of Education and Social Policy and Northwestern University to create initiatives and partnerships that positively impact our home communities of Evanston and Chicago–and can be shared and scaled far beyond.
OCEP partners with faculty, students, colleges, departments, and centers from across the University. OCEP also supports Northwestern's Neighborhood and Community Relations.
The Northwestern Evanston Education Research Alliance (NEERA)
The Northwestern Evanston Education Research Alliance (NEERA) is a research-practice partnership between Northwestern University, Evanston-area school districts, and civic and community organizations. We are data-driven and fair-minded, and we collectively leverage the expertise of researchers and practitioners both inside and outside the classroom.
The Baxter Center for Science Education
The Baxter Center for Science Education creates programs that help students succeed in STEM subjects and careers, while also supporting teachers' professional growth. The program is a collaborative partnership between Chicago Public Schools' Lindblom Math & Science Academy, Round Lake Area Schools, Baxter International Foundation, and OCEP.
The Digital Youth Divas
Digital Youth Divas, a collaboration between Digital Youth Network and DePaul University, is an out-of-school design-based STEM program for girls in fourth through eigth grade. Mentors act as guides and role models to STEM identities by participating in face-to-face and online spaces to design, create, and re-imagine everything from jewelry and, hair accessories to, music, and participating in coding, circuitry, and fabrication.
The L3 Platform: learning in-school, out-of-school, and online
The L3 online platform powers learning ecosystems in several US cities. It sits at the intersection of research and learning, connecting academics, educators, formal and informal learning organizations, youth, and families. The platform collects, structures, and labels data in order for Northwestern and our partners to help each learn and understand their learning landscapes, focusing on equity and opportunity factors. The L3 platform supports EL3 (Evanston learns in-school, out-of-school, and online), My Chi. My Future, and STEAMville.
My Chi. My Future.
Chicago's My Chi. My Future. initiative works to connect every young person in Chicago to a variety of rich, engaging, safe, and youth-centered out-of-school experiences. OCEP helps to support and convene Chicago community-based organizations, provides the online platform, facilitates professional development for educators and community leaders, and works in direct partnership with Deputy Mayor for Education and Human Services.
The Northwestern - District 65 Partnership Office
A central focus of Northwestern’s strategic plan is strengthening engagement with local communities through partnerships that promote bidirectional learning and broader community impact. This focus includes an emphasis on K-12 education and the educators, administrators, caregivers, and civic organizations that play critical roles in youth learning and development. Established in 2016, the partnership office supports these initiatives in Evanston/Skokie School District 65.
The Northwestern - ETHS Partnership Office
Since opening our office in September 2012, the connection between Northwestern and Evanston Township High School has grown a lot. We help both schools by listening to their needs, goals, and challenges, and finding ways to work together to solve problems. Our work covers many areas, including academics, sports, health and wellness, social issues, college and career education, cultural events, mentoring, arts, and community involvement.
Opportunity Landscapes
Out -of-school activities are important parts of learning, but not everyone has the same access to them. The Opportunity Landscape project looks at how to use maps and data to understand where out-of-school learning activities, mentors, and programs are available, as well as the challenges people face, like cost, safety, and transportation. We combine data from different sources, like census information and crime statistics, with local data to get a clearer picture. Researchers, community organizations, educators, and decision-makers work together to analyze the results, ask more questions, and design ways to improve learning opportunities in communities.
STEAMbassadors
OCEP is working with City Colleges of Chicago and local organizations on STEAMbassadors, a program that connects college students with youth to explore, develop, and share their interests in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). The goal is to make STEAM a part of young people’s daily lives and help create learning opportunities. STEAMbassadors uses a "from community, for community" approach to tackle the lack of representation and resources in underserved communities, especially in STEAM fields.