Center for Community Based Literacy Research

The Center for Community Based Literacy Research and Partnerships Affiliation Guidelines

Drafted by the presiding Director (Dr. Arya) of the McEnroe Reading and Language Arts Clinic (herein called the Clinic) with the support of members from the Clinic Advisory Board. This research initiative is a “center for research” among affiliates, and is one of several programs related to the Clinic. This document is to clarify goals, philosophy, and activities of potential affiliated faculty and community organizations with the Clinic within the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education (GGSE). The process of affiliation is also specified to assure that the goals, values and activities of affiliates align with those of the center.      

I. Purpose and Goals

The center invites potential faculty-led literacy-related partnerships with schools and outreach programs in the surrounding region. Such work may also support literacy practices and professional development of teachers within such districts. Affiliation for leaders of such partnerships can maximize access to available resources (detailed below), advance community-based research, and increase the visibility of the work of the Clinic and the GGSE for the broader community. Community organizations outside the UC system will need to first contact GGSE leadership (the current dean) to determine partnership eligibility.

II. Eligibility Guidelines

All eligible affiliates lead programs that support the K-12 student population and their teachers. Programmatic activities should involve literacy-related practices such as reading, writing, (multimodal) communication, and multilingual and digital literacies. Relevant literacy-based research programs may be within the context of lines of inquiry related to identity formation, civic engagement (e.g., advocacy of local movements towards food security) and collective knowledge building (e.g., learning about efforts to restore local wetlands). 

Eligible affiliates engage in scholarship and/or partnerships that:

●     Represent active engagement in community-based programming;

●     Involve undergraduates and provides mentorship and professional development;

●     Have existing funds (government, campus, foundations, etc.) that support the bulk of their programming, or demonstrating/declaring minimal funding needs; or

●     Propose a time-bound pilot to secure external funding.

III. Resources & Expectations

Sharing Clinic resources. Affiliates will have access to resources commensurate with their professional connections with UC Santa Barbara and the GGSE. All affiliates can reserve available Clinic spaces for team meetings or programmatic meetings by consulting the Clinic Lead Coordinator or Assistant Director. Affiliates have access to consumable materials (e.g., construction paper, glue, etc.) and make use of available tools (e.g., scissors, paint brushes, etc.) and books housed within Clinic spaces. Such members may also borrow available digital equipment (e.g., VR headsets or professional grade iPads) through the Clinic Lead Coordinator.

Data sharing. All affiliates may request access to the Clinic’s assessment database by submitting a request to the Clinic Director about the purposes for using such information. Requests can also be made for assessing youth members of a given program if an affiliate would like more information about a young student’s reading or writing abilities. These requests must specify how they are consistent with existing participant consent and Human Subjects constraints.

At the end of every academic period, affiliates will provide demographic information for participants in their program. Such information includes the total number of K-12 students by grade level, ethnicity, and whether they are multilingual.

Access to and use of Clinic funds. Faculty affiliates can request funding up to $5,000 per year to support their community-based program, pending budgetary constraints and approval by the Clinic Advisory Board. Such funding might support UCSB student assistant (SA) hires, materials and resources (beyond those already provided), or other purposes that should be specified in the request.

IV. Process of Affiliation

All potential affiliates should submit a request along with 1-page description to the current Clinic Director (in the form of a memo with their signature) via email (darya@ucsb.edu). This description should include the following:

●   A brief description about their community-based research program (purpose, participant population, general program activities, and intended outcomes);

●   A statement about how such programming aligns with the general goals of McEnroe Clinic programming and research;

●   An explanation of how programmatic goals and activities are being developed with consultation from community members;

●   Specification of current or proposed funding sources and amounts; and 

●   A statement that demonstrates acknowledgement of and commitment to upholding the guidelines described in this document.

 All submitted proposals will be reviewed and discussed during a quarterly Advisory Board meeting. The Clinic Director will contact candidate affiliates following Advisory Board discussion on next steps in the affiliation process. All approved affiliates will sign an agreement via DocuSign. An annual check in with Clinic leadership involving the review of the original or revised program description will determine whether affiliation should continue the following year.