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Grants and Projects

Community Schools Initiative

Through the Community Schools Initiative (CSI) grant, we collaborate with neighborhood-based schools using a community schools model to support children, youth, and families. CSI is under the purview of Loyola University Schools Partnership (LUSP), which strategically aligns resources from across the University to support partner schools, by engaging faculty, staff, and students to participate with schools and community organizations. 

Projects and initiatives that emerge through the CSI grant, and ongoing relationships, enact social justice by strengthening academics, out-of-school learning, social and cultural enrichment opportunities, health and wellness services, social-emotional support, and family and community engagement activities. The initiative is rooted in the values of mutual benefit, sustainability, and place based engagement.

Loyola Puentes Fellowship

Comprehensive Preparation of School Psychologists to Support the Mental Health of Students that are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse in the Cicero Community.

This five-year project, funded by the US Department of Education, prepares bilingual and bicultural school psychologists to address the critical shortage of school-based mental health service providers in racially/ethnically diverse schools. The grant provides tuition, a stipendand fees to support Puentes Fellows to earn their Educational Specialist degree (EdS) in school psychology and enter the field to help fill this shortage. Loyola is partnering with three Illinois school districts - Cicero Elementary District 99, Berwyn North Elementary District 98 and Morton High School District 201 - to train Puentes Fellows and to collaborate in school-based mental health tiered systems of support. The project also supports the implementation of a Work Force Development Program (WFDP) in coordination with Youth Crossroads, to introduce youth to careers in school-based mental health and enhance their mental health literacy.

LUC-Noyce Scholars Program

The LUC-Noyce Scholars program, funded by the National Science Foundation, addresses the critical need for recruiting, preparing, and retaining highly effective secondary mathematics and science teachers for Chicago and other high-need school districts across the country. Project research initiatives aim to develop, study and contribute to understandings about best practices in teacher education and professional development marked by diversity, equity, and inclusion

Pandemic Era Schooling

The COVID-19 pandemic brought remarkable changes to life as we know it. In the context of PK-12 schools, students, families, and educators have maneuvered unprecedented challenges while trying to maintain focus on student learning and development. As the rest of the society pushes forward the path toward normalcy, educational stakeholders are left to ponder: What is the new normal of schools and schooling?

When the pandemic began, two Loyola researchers recognized the need to study the experiences of multilingual learners and immigrant-origin youth. Learn more about Pandemic Era Schooling, A Framework to Enhance Future Practices

Pre-service Teacher Research Experience in Biodiversity Studies

With funding from the National Science Foundation, Loyola University Chicago is excited to offer the Pre-service Teacher Research Experience in Biodiversity Studies, a summer research internship opportunity for undergraduate students interested in teaching science or math at the high school level.

Race, Culture, and Health Equity Lab

The Race, Culture, and Health Equity Lab is directed by Krolikowski Endowed Chair, Dr. Matt Miller. The lab is focused on the application of counseling psychology science and practice, local community engagement, and social media to address racism at individual and systemic levels.