Teaching
Rutgers, J&J program to nurture young minds through nature
When Rutgers professors Michael J. Camasso and Radha Jagannathan saw the large disparity in academic test scores between urban and suburban elementary schools in the Department of Education’s New Jersey School Report Card, they decided to take action.
They began in their own backyard, addressing the far lower test results from New Brunswick’s Paul Robeson Community School than from Highland Park’s Bartle Elementary School.
Their prescription: butterfly gardens, bird boxes, and wildlife.
The longtime colleagues believed that by opening urban children’s eyes to the natural world, they could make science, nature, and health “the hottest thing around” for younger students.
“We wanted to take advantage of the fact that children at an early age often show interest in birds, flowers, snakes, and stars,” said Camasso, a professor of agricultural economics at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
The result of their efforts is Nurture Through Nature, an after-school and summer enrichment program that aims to open pathways to science and health careers for New Brunswick elementary school children. The program is designed to increase children’s proficiency levels by using language and math skills to study the environment and science, and by creating an urban community park offering students and their families hands-on learning.
The faculty members come to the project from different perspectives. Jagannathan is an associate professor of urban planning and policy development in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. But they have more than 50 years of public service between them – and a template for successful community intervention.
It begins with finding support.
Camasso and Jagannthan brought the idea to Rutgers’ Academic Excellence Fund, which provided funds to begin the project. Then they turned to a dependable neighbor, Johnson & Johnson, which agreed to help.
Joanne Fillweber, manager of corporate contributions, said the concept resonated with J&J values. She said that for more than 120 years, the company has partnered with Rutgers to build collaborative networks addressing priorities in health care and education. “I was heartened to see the dedication and commitment of this university-neighborhood partnership – a community coming together to achieve success for its children, " Fillweber said.
Much of the knowledge about the neighborhood came from a survey funded by New Brunswick Tomorrow and the Civic League of Greater New Brunswick, conducted during the summer of 2004. Camasso, Jagannathan, and four of their graduate students knocked on more than 400 doors in the Robeson School neighborhood, gauging interest, soliciting ideas, and identifying community leaders. Most in the community said that they would like to improve enrichment programs and were willing to help make it happen.
Nurture Through Nature’s kickoff meeting, which took place in December at a local Mexican restaurant, was filled by dozens of neighbors, nonprofit organizations, funders, New Brunswick school officials, and members of the Rutgers community. Other Rutgers participants include Mark Robson, dean of agricultural and urban programs; Dorothea Berkhout, executive director of administration at the Bloustein School; Bruce Crawford, director of Rutgers Gardens; Laura Bovitz, Middlesex County 4-H agent; Jim Boyd, a professional from the Division of Continuous Education and Outreach and Rebecca Jordan, assistant professor of environmental education and citizen science, and director of the Program in Science Learning.
The program will begin with 25 to 30 third-to-sixth graders selected at random from the Paul Robeson Community School. Camasso said that achievement gaps begin to show in about fourth grade. “Academic proficiency levels for second and third graders tend to be similar in urban and suburban schools, but soon after that a distressingly large disparity begins to develop,” Camasso said. Wealthier suburban school districts can offer children advantages. Highland Park elementary schools, for example, have more enrichment programs and highly credentialed teachers than those in New Brunswick. “No one was advocating for enriched science learning for the Robeson School community,” he said.
During the next months, committees will be working to get ready for the program’s rollout in the spring. In addition to committees working on curriculum, gardening and nutrition, Jagannathan heads an evaluation group, which will monitor the students’ progress for at least three years.
“We want to create a model for other communities,” she said.