April 29, 2025 – This webinar presents research insights gathered from East Lower and Upper School students, focusing on aspects of the school climate that supported their confidence in learning, value for education, and sense of connectedness to the school. Led by Center for Urban Education Success (CUES) professors, they highlight the positive role of the UR East EPO (Educational Partnership Organization) from 2015 to 2024 in enhancing teacher pedagogy, strengthening teacher-student relationships, and bolstering superintendent support. These efforts have been key to fostering students’ motivational beliefs, persistence, and academic achievement.

May 6, 2024 — This webinar discusses the findings of research conducted at East High School as part of the University of Rochester’s Educational Partnership Organization with the school. It explores topics such as academic performance, school culture and belonging, pedagogical innovation, research-practice collaborations, and knowledge production across various subject areas.

August 22, 2023 — The greatest civil rights issue of our time. Only one-third of fourth-grade students nationwide read at proficient levels in 2022. We learned more about this during a private screening of The Right to Read documentary and then heard from a panel of experts, including education scholars, literacy advocates, and community members. Moderated by WXXI host Evan Dawson.

March 22, 2023 — Parental and community advocacy is integral to school success, but K-12 schools must make engagement more equitable by implementing strategies that reflect community needs and values. Join a panel of educators and community members who’ll share efforts in creating meaningful parent and community partnerships and discuss ways that you can build connections and effectively advocate for schools.

January 25, 2023 — A panel of statewide and national educational leaders will share their expertise about collaborative efforts, policy changes, and local- and state-level support necessary to transform K-12 schools into sustained systems where students thrive.

Watch: “Panel discussion about improving education held at East High School” on News10NBC (January 26, 2023)

Watch: “University of Rochester hosts event on improving underserved school communities” on WROC’s Rochesterfirst.com (January 25, 2023)

October 28, 2022 — A new book by Larson J., Atkins, G., & Duret, E. titled Doing and Being Hip-Hop in School: Best.Class.Ever. is now published.

This book explores how how urban youth and their teachers (Larson as co-teacher) design and implement a student led class on Hip Hop.

Purchase your copy today

March 12, 2022 — The inaugural 2022 Greater Rochester Antiracist Conference was held virtually for more than 600 people attendees. The conference included presentations and speakers covering a broad variety of topics related to antiracist education. In total, there were two keynote speakers, a panel,
a documentary, and 18 break out session workshops.

The conference was a community effort coordinated and led by the educators of the
Antiracist Curriculum Project generously hosted by the PathStone Corporation, and the
Center for Urban Education Success. Local schools that supported the conference included:

• SUNY Brockport School of Education, Health and Human Services
• Nazareth College, School of Education
• SUNY Geneseo, Ella Cline Shear School of Education
• Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education, St. John Fisher College
• University of Rochester, Warner School of Education

Read: 2022 Greater Rochester Antiracist Education Conference Report by Nahoko Kawakyu O’Connor

What education can do to move forward toward justice and equity

2020 — In the wake of a summer of violence against unarmed Black men both nationally and locally, East High Superintendent Dr. Shaun Nelms, discusses how to make systemic changes in countywide educational policies and the creation of an antiracist curriculum to help students learn about and discuss Rochester’s issues with racism and injustice. In two separate interviews, Dr. Nelms explains how East and how Rochester can do both.

Watch: “Anti-racism Curriculum to be Implemented in School Districts across Monroe County” on WHAM News (January 15, 2021)

Watch: “Anti-racist Curriculum to be Incorporated in History Classes in all Monroe County Schools” on WROC’s Rochesterfirst.com (January 15, 2021)

Read: “Across Monroe County, Students Will Soon have Anti-racist Lessons” on WXXI News and in City Newspaper (January 13, 2021)

Watch:  “A Conversation with Shaun Nelms on Systematic Poverty in Rochester” on Spectrum News’s Capital Tonight (September 24, 2020)

June 2, 2020 — Dr. Shaun Nelms discusses how to have tough, uncomfortable conversations with your kids about racial inequality, the historical significance of these events, and how each person can do their part to improve social injustice. Listen to podcast here.

May 1, 2020 — Steady increases in both teen suicides and school shootings have heightened public concern about cyberbullying. This article documents how the University of Rochester-East collaboration is reshaping school climate and strengthening relationships at school to curb cyberbullying. We describe how three aspects of school life — beliefs, structures, and policies — have changed the climate at East High, in ways that better attend to cyberbullying. Read full article here.

March 23, 2020 — Joanne Larson is quoted in a Democrat & Chronicle story highlighting the inequities during a time when there is an increased reliance on parents as educators. The story looks more closely at four different families around Rochester and what their home school set-up looks like. Read the story “What Does ‘School’ Look Like These Days? That Depends” HERE or at https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/education/2020/03/23/one-week-school-four-rochester-families-covid-19-coronavirus/2884828001/

March 2020 — This article documents how a collaborative group of teachers, administrators, parents, students, community members and university staff designed a model that built student voice into the foundation of school culture and practices.  The stakes were high. We faced both the pressure to prevent the school from closing and the opportunity to reshape it into a place that truly served young people and expanded their opportunities for advocacy. Read full article here.

December 2019 — Schools only become “inclusive” once school culture changes. At East Upper & Lower Schools, students with disabilities are starting to feel the change. This article, by Warner’s Theresa Danylak, describes how the resources available within a university-school partnership worked to improve education for students with disabilities. Read article here.

December 2019 — Absenteeism links to low achievement in urban districts. And since urban schools comprise a higher percentage of students of color and students living with poverty, absenteeism can be understood as contributing to the achievement gap between students of color and their white counterparts. Thus, reducing absenteeism is a move to reduce inequity. Read more here

July 19, 2019 — Representatives from the University of Rochester-East EPO partnership discuss the EPO’s three-year progress report. They share the challenges East has faced, the successes they’ve seen, and what they hope for the next phase of the collaboration.

May 2019 — Shaun Nelms was the keynote speaker this year at SUNY Fredonia’s 142nd Commencement. An article published in Observer captures some of the key highlights from his address. Read the article, “Fredonia Grads Challenged to Transform Society,” HERE or at: https://www.observertoday.com/news/page-one/2019/05/fredonia-grads-challenged-to-transform-society/

The link to both Commencement ceremonies is on Fredonia’s website at: https://www.fredonia.edu/student-life/commencement

February 2019 — The EAST EPO has issued a report to communicate the progress of East High School in the first three years of the partnership with the University of Rochester. The Center for Urban Education Success supports and researches this partnership. Students, staff, and families have accomplished a great deal, and the trajectory for the future looks positive. Report in English. Report in Spanish.

January 2019 — Valerie Marsh and Shaun Nelms recently co-wrote an article focused on stemming chronic absenteeism in urban schools for District Administration magazine. Based on research conducted at the Center for Urban Education Success (CUES) and applied at East Upper and Lower Schools in Rochester, NY, this article outlines four steps schools can take to increase attendance, especially pertinent to urban settings. Learn More

October 2018 — CUES publishes a practitioner brief on bullying in schools, exploring prevalence, contributing factors, and interventions. This brief’s analysis of empirical research aims to provide a balanced and accurate depiction of bullying in all of its forms. A resource guide for teachers and practitioners is included. Learn More

June 2018 — The Konar Foundation’s gift creates a new endowed directorship position to lead CUES, and Dr. Shaun Nelms, Superintendent of East Upper and Lower Schools in Rochester and formerly an affiliated faculty member of CUES, was installed as the inaugural director to fill this endowed position. Learn More