Dr. Amanda Case featured as the “Instructor to Watch” in Office of Engagement Service-Learning Newsletter

Professor Amanda Case of the Department of Educational Studies has spent her academic career focused on community-based programs and the benefits that they can bring to underserved youth. Since 2013, she has partnered with the community youth development program Downtown Boxing Gym (DBG), which serves 3rd-12th grade students from Detroit. The motto of DBG is “Books Before Boxing,” and the program helps to foster both educational and occupational preparation for its students while providing social and emotional support alongside physical and psychological wellness. Since the partnership between Case and DBG began, 312 Detroit youth have graduated from the program, 100% of whom have graduated high school and 98% of whom have also gone on to 2- or 4-year colleges or universities. Though the program is open to all youth, it predominantly serves students who are Black and living at or below the poverty line.

With the changes wrought by COVID, Case recognized another opportunity to support the DBG community. Although most Detroit students had to attend school remotely, the school district did not have the funds and resources to support their remote learning. In response, DBG stepped up to serve as a learning pod so students did not lose momentum, but they too had financial and resource restrictions. To help, Case developed a new Purdue class, titled “Culturally-Appropriate Literacy Assessment in Community-Based Educational Spaces.” In this course, Purdue students learn about and implement culturally- and developmentally- appropriate literacy assessments and interventions in a community-based educational space by working directly with DBG students to conduct assessments and develop individualized literacy plans. This experience provides a beneficial educational opportunity for both Purdue students and the students of the greater Detroit community, in spite of the many challenges COVID has created.

This story was first published in the Office of Engagement Service-Learning Newsletter. Download the October 2021 Service-Learning Newsletter: https://www.purdue.edu/engagement/our-story/stories/