District–University partnership highlighted for innovative, community-driven approach to culturally responsive practice
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Newark Public Schools (NPS) and Rutgers School of Health Professions presented a collaborative session at the 2025 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) National Convention, highlighting an innovative, community-centered approach to improving outcomes for students in urban school settings.
The session, “Envisioning Community-Based Participatory Research: Closing the Research-to-Practice Gap and Promoting Cultural Responsivity in Schools,” showcased the groundbreaking partnership between the Newark Public Schools Office of Special Education, Rutgers University, and school-based practitioners involved in the district’s REACH Grant Initiative.
“Newark Public Schools is proud to lead this kind of innovative, community-centered work,” said Superintendent León. “When research is shaped by the voices of our teachers, our clinicians, and our families, it becomes more relevant, more equitable, and far more impactful. Our partnership with Rutgers demonstrates what is possible when schools and universities come together with a shared commitment to improving outcomes for every child.”
A New Model for School-Based Research
The presentation emphasized the importance of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) as a method for ensuring that research is co-designed with the communities it serves. The NPS/Rutgers team described how school staff, families, and community practitioners are directly involved in shaping research questions, developing interventions, and guiding implementation.
Key elements of the collaboration include:
- Engaging Newark educators, clinicians, and families in the research design process
- Ensuring school-based practitioners’ voices shape interventions
- Building systems that reflect Newark’s linguistic and cultural richness
Closing the Research-to-Practice Gap
The team underscored that traditional research models often do not respond to the realities of urban schools. Through their partnership, Newark Public Schools and Rutgers work together to:
- Test strategies in real school environments
- Collect authentic data from Newark students and practitioners
- Develop models that can be implemented immediately and sustainably
- Provide training and coaching to ensure practices are implemented successfully
Promoting Cultural Responsivity
A core priority of the partnership is developing culturally responsive evaluation and support models that reflect the needs of Newark’s multilingual, multicultural community. This includes:
- Designing evaluations and interventions responsive to cultural and linguistic differences
- Training staff in culturally sustaining practices
- Increasing equitable access to high-quality services
- Addressing disproportionality through evidence-based, community-driven methods
The REACH Grant: Driving Systemic Impact
The Rutgers Equity Alliance for Community Health (REACH) Grant has been a critical driver in expanding this work. Through the REACH Grant, Newark Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs), Child Study Team (CST) members, and Rutgers faculty collaborate on research aimed at improving culturally responsive evaluations and supports. Grant funding supports pilot programs, practitioner coaching, data collection, and community engagement initiatives. This work ensures that Newark students receive services developed with them, not just for them, resulting in stronger relevance and improved outcomes.
The ASHA presentation was led by:
- Kristen Victorino, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Rutgers)
- Naimah Calloway, M.S., CCC-SLP (Newark Public Schools)
- Adriana DeGiovanni, M.S., Ed. (Newark Public Schools)
- Mychell Ferreira, M.S., CCC-SLP (Newark Public Schools)
- Jaclyn McCann, M.S., CCC-SLP (Newark Public Schools)
Additional collaborators included Nicole Ford, M.S., CCC-SLP and Ana Ferreira, M.S., CCC-SLP, both of Newark Public Schools, whose work is integral to the initiative.
Audience response at ASHA was very positive, with attendees recognizing the NPS–Rutgers partnership as a national model for:
- Aligning university research with district needs
- Empowering practitioners to co-lead research
- Promoting equity and cultural responsiveness
- Building sustainable systems that improve student outcomes
“This collaboration is a great example of how our students can thrive when the systems around them honor their culture, their language, and their lived experience,” said Board of Education President Hasani K. Council. “I commend our Office of Special Education and all of the practitioners who are helping build a model that other districts can learn from.”