Creating a Community/University Partnership That Works: The Case of the East St. Louis Action Research Project

Abstract

Metropolitan universities are increasingly being challenged to focus more research, teaching, and service resources on the problems of /ow-income urban communities. This article describes how students and faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are using participatory action research methods to enhance the capacity of community-based organizations in East St. Louis. The article documents their accomplishments and the institutional, environmental, political, racial, and class barriers that successful university/community partnerships must overcome.