5: Meeting the Needs and Expectations of Parents in a University-Community Partnership: Bridging the Town-Gown Division Through an After-School Tutoring Early Field Experience

To offer academic opportunities for students who may not be able to pay for supplemental instruction, our preservice teacher program participated in a tutoring initiative. In a college town in which the university and town are divided in terms of racial demographics and educational level, this program served the dual purpose of bringing together the community and offering learning opportunities. From the perspective of racially informed self-determination theory, this study examines the needs and expectations of parents who enrolled their children (n = 70) in after-school tutoring for one academic year. The tutoring program, Help with Homework, is a university-community partnership (UCP) between a public regional university and a local nonprofit organization in the southeastern region of the United States. Preservice teachers (PTs) across four sections (n = 193) provided the tutoring as their early field experience. All parents were given a survey to complete at the beginning and end of each semester for one academic year. Nearly all parents perceived the program as benefiting their child. The PTs were surveyed about their experience and provided written reflections. The current study illustrates how the needs of the PTs and community members can be met through a UCP that transcends the town-gown divide. Implications for future UCP implementation and lessons learned are discussed in this chapter.