We must fully engage with the city of Houston — learning from it and contributing to it — as a successful partnership with our home city is an essential part of our future.
The creation of the Center for Civic Leadership, the Passport to Houston program, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and other programs are deepening our relationship with our home city to the benefit of learners, educators and community members alike. A number of programs have produced very substantial K-12 engagement. More of our students are getting out into the city for education, research and recreation. Houston is now a much more important resource for our students, and our students and faculty are contributing more substantially to solving the problems of Houston. More than 200 students participated in the 2016 Outreach Day designed to teach participants about social issues facing Houston and to encourage ongoing civic engagement.
Agree or Disagree: 35 Years of Questions With the Kinder Institute's Stephen Klineberg from Kinder Institute on Vimeo.
Examples of V2C Progress:
K-12 Education – Rice’s involvement with K-12 initiatives is a university-wide effort. The Center for College Readiness at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, a national leader in K-12 education, has worked with 65,000 educators and students from 53 countries and all 50 states. The Houston Education Research Consortium and National Education Research-Practice Partnerships Network, both led by Rice faculty, work to reduce achievement gaps in K-12 education both locally and nationally. A variety of outreach programs engage underrepresented minority students in STEM programs and summer camps and provide teacher training to enhance the skills of local school districts.
City of Houston — The Kinder Institute for Urban Research continues to provide valuable research through the Kinder Houston Area Survey and has significantly expanded its research efforts, particularly in transportation, urban disparity and opportunity and urban health. The Center for Civic Leadership fosters engaged citizenship in undergraduate students through research and service projects with the city and area non-profits. More than 200 students participated in the 2016 Outreach Day designed to teach participants about social issues facing Houston and to encourage ongoing civic engagement. Initiatives like the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation for Disasters Center and the Baker Institute Mexico Center are developing research that directly impact Houstonians. The Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance conducts and supports research on issues related to religious tolerance and spearheads engagement efforts that foster a dialogue within the diverse community of Houston.