Chapter 16: Partnering with a Promise Academy: The McMichael-Drexel-Mantua Civic Association Collaboration

This chapter provides an analysis of the place-based strategy and school, university, community partnership that began between McMichael School in the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), Drexel University, and the Mantua Civic Association. McMichael is a K–8 public school on the edge of the campus. The partnership evolved out of the vision and values of Drexel’s President John A. Fry, whose strategic plan specifically outlines a strong model for civic engagement driven by respect for the needs of our neighbors (Drexel University, 2012). This ethic compels the university to serve as an anchor institution positioned to leverage its influence through collaboration with local organizations and civic groups to improve education, employment, health, safety, and housing conditions in adjacent communities. McMichael represents one of many opportunities to engage civically and implement the university’s core principles. The confluence of Drexel’s civic engagement vision, faculty expertise in the School of Education (SoE), the public education crisis in the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), and community influence resulted in the formation of a complex collaboration that is best described as interagency (Slater & Ravid, 2010). Thus, the Slater Matrix (Slater, 2010) is used to analyze the scope, multi-layered context, and complexity of this collaborative effort. Particular emphasis is placed on the power dynamics within and among the participants in the university, school, and community partnership.