The U.S. Department of Education was awarded Florida Atlantic University a $21 million multi-year grant to study how to boost Broward’s poorest neighborhoods into “communities of opportunity,” FAU officials announced on Thursday.
As part of the grant, FAU faculty from the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice and College of Education, along with FAU’s Division of Research, will be doing research to support the project goals under the federal government’s “Broward Unlimited Potential Promise Neighborhood,” or Broward UP.
“Research is the cornerstone of this program’s success,” said FAU President Stacy Volnick in a statement. “This initiative will be fueled by the expertise and dedication of Florida Atlantic faculty researchers, administrators and community partners who will play a pivotal role in driving research efforts and overseeing critical data analytics to ensure the program achieves meaningful and lasting impact.”
FAU officials say Broward’s poorest neighborhoods face many challenges, including chronic absenteeism, mental health issues, poor nutrition, and limited access to quality early learning programs. They have identified six ZIP codes (33309, 33311, 33313, 33319, 33023 and 33069) where “residents face intergenerational poverty and barriers to well-being and economic prosperity.”
“These factors perpetuate a cycle of poverty and low educational attainment, hindering social mobility and the path to stronger communities,” say FAU officials, who note that school officials report more than 6,000 Broward school children being homeless.
The program will focus on more than 14,655 Broward students and their families.
Over the course of the project, Broward UP aims to serve more than 14,655 students and their families, say FAU officials.
“By removing barriers to education and opportunity, our approach demonstrates how individuals and families can be empowered, paving the way for brighter futures and stronger, more resilient communities,” said Gregg Fields, Ph.D., the principal investigator and FAU vice president for research.
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