The House on 34th Street: USC Dornsife’s Joint Educational Project spans generations of service – USC Dornsife

Report on the Joint Educational Project’s Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

The University of Southern California’s (USC) Joint Educational Project (JEP), established over 50 years ago, serves as a model for university-community partnership, directly contributing to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the annual engagement of approximately 2,000 USC student volunteers in nearly 120 local K-12 classrooms, JEP has created a multigenerational legacy of educational support and community integration. This report analyzes JEP’s activities through the lens of the SDGs, with a particular focus on Quality Education (SDG 4), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).

Alignment with SDG 4: Quality Education

JEP’s core mission is to provide inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities in the communities surrounding USC. The project’s initiatives are designed to enhance educational outcomes for K-12 students.

• Academic Support: USC undergraduates provide tutoring in fundamental subjects such as math and English, directly supporting classroom learning.
• STEM Education: The “WonderKids” program offers hands-on STEM education, fostering critical thinking and confidence in science and technology among young learners.
• Skill Development: As evidenced by the Plancarte-Perez family, participation in JEP programs instills lifelong values and tools, including increased confidence and improved communication skills.

Contribution to SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The program actively works to reduce inequalities by providing resources and representation to students from diverse and working-class backgrounds, encouraging them to view higher education as an attainable goal.

• Mentorship and Representation: Volunteers like Juan Carlos Whyte-Lira and his daughter, Itzel Whyte-Aguayo, serve as role models. As a Latina USC student, Whyte-Aguayo’s presence affirms to young students that they belong in institutions of higher learning.
• Access to Opportunity: By connecting university resources with local schools, JEP helps bridge the opportunity gap for students in underserved neighborhoods.
• Community Empowerment: The program encourages students from communities historically underrepresented in higher education to envision and pursue a university education.

Supporting SDG 3 and SDG 11: Community Well-being and Sustainable Partnerships

JEP’s impact extends beyond academics to foster well-being and build sustainable, integrated communities, aligning with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

• Health and Well-being: The “Little Yoginis” initiative teaches children the fundamentals of yoga and mindfulness, contributing directly to their physical and mental well-being.
• Building Community Bridges: JEP’s structure encourages USC students to move beyond the campus, fostering relationships and a sense of shared investment in the broader South Los Angeles community.
• Sustainable Partnerships: The program exemplifies a long-term, successful partnership (SDG 17) between a major university and its local community, creating a new world of understanding and mutual support.

Case Studies in Multigenerational Impact

The long-term success of JEP is demonstrated through the multigenerational experiences of both program beneficiaries and volunteers.

1. The Plancarte-Perez Family: This family exemplifies three generations of positive engagement with JEP. Patricia Perez, a former participant, has seen her daughters, Nicole and Sophia Plancarte, develop from shy children into confident learners through JEP programs, demonstrating the project’s lasting contribution to quality education and personal development.
2. The Whyte-Lira/Whyte-Aguayo Family: This family represents a legacy of service and a commitment to reducing inequality. Juan Carlos Whyte-Lira volunteered in the 1990s to inspire local students, and three decades later, his daughter Itzel Whyte-Aguayo continues this mission, providing crucial representation and encouragement.

Analysis of the Article in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • The article’s central theme is the Joint Educational Project (JEP), a community service program focused on providing educational support to local K-12 students. It explicitly mentions tutoring in “math and English,” a “hands-on STEM education program” called WonderKids, and programs that build life skills and confidence, which are all core components of ensuring quality education.

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • The article highlights that the program serves students from the neighborhoods surrounding USC, many of whom are “Black or Latino and came from working-class families.” By providing extra educational resources and mentorship, JEP aims to reduce educational disparities. Furthermore, the presence of university student volunteers from similar backgrounds, such as Juan Carlos Whyte-Lira and his daughter Itzel Whyte-Aguayo, serves to “encourage the young people she tutors to dream big and providing representation for them,” directly addressing inequalities in opportunity and access to higher education.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • The JEP program is described as a “bridge building” initiative between the university and the local community. The article states that it helps USC students “gain a deeper understanding of the neighborhoods that surround USC” and “build a sense of shared investment in the broader community.” This fosters social cohesion and creates inclusive relationships between a major institution and its surrounding neighborhoods, which is a key aspect of creating sustainable and inclusive communities.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Targets for SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.1: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education…” The JEP program directly supports this target by providing tutoring in core subjects like math and English to K-12 students, helping them achieve better learning outcomes.
   • Target 4.2: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education…” The article mentions that Patricia Perez’s daughters “have participated in JEP since preschool,” indicating the program’s contribution to early childhood education.
   • Target 4.3: “By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.” The article describes how tutors encourage their students “to see USC as a place they belonged” and show them that “pursuing college is possible,” thereby promoting access to tertiary education.

2. Targets for SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: “By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… race, ethnicity… or economic or other status.” The program’s focus on students from “working-class families,” many of whom are “Black or Latino,” and the use of representative role models to affirm that “they belong in institutions like USC” directly works towards the social and educational inclusion of these groups.
   • Target 10.3: “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome…” JEP is a practical action that promotes equal opportunity in education by providing supplemental resources to students in underserved communities, aiming to reduce the inequality of educational outcomes between them and their more privileged peers.

3. Targets for SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.3: “By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management…” While not about urban planning, the program’s mission to foster “real relationships with the community” and build a “sense of shared investment” contributes to the social fabric and inclusivity of the urban environment, integrating the university “island” with the surrounding South L.A. community.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicators for SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Number of participants: The article states that “some 2,000 USC students volunteer annually in nearly 120 K-12 classrooms.” The number of K-12 students reached can be used as a direct indicator of the program’s scale and contribution to supplemental education.
   • Qualitative learning outcomes: The article provides anecdotal evidence of improved skills and confidence. Patricia Perez notes that her daughters “were asking questions and had much more confidence when speaking to adults” after participating in WonderKids. This suggests that progress could be measured through assessments of student confidence, class participation, and engagement.

2. Indicators for SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Demographics of participants: The article’s mention of serving students who are “Black or Latino and came from working-class families” implies that the proportion of students from underrepresented and/or low-income backgrounds is a key metric for measuring the program’s success in reaching its target audience and reducing inequality.
   • Representation in mentorship: The number or proportion of university volunteers from backgrounds similar to the K-12 students they tutor can serve as an indicator. The story of Itzel Whyte-Aguayo, a “Latina USC student,” highlights the importance of this representation.

3. Indicators for SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Qualitative change in student perspectives: The article implies an indicator through the quote from JEP’s executive director: “When students form real relationships with the community around them, it changes how they see their education — and their responsibility to the world.” Progress could be measured through surveys or interviews assessing the change in university students’ perceptions and sense of connection to the local community before and after their participation.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: dornsife.usc.edu