ABSTRACT
The partnership journey of Clark and Main South schools started in the midst of the tumultuous era of social change and educational reform, in the mid-1990s. It coincided with the University’s growing commitment to help improve the neighborhood, and also with an internal process of rethinking the work in education. Even as pride and stability have grown, the neighborhood has remained environmentally and socially blighted in the view of outsiders, a perspective that frustrates many neighborhood students. The students are well aware of perceptions born of unfamiliarity, stereotype, or condescension, and want to change them. The University’s first building, the sturdy brick and granite Jonas Clark Hall, was set back from Main Street with a broad expanse of green in the foreground, and a farm-like fence along one side. Main South students also differ from their predecessors in the expectations they have to meet. The student demography was entirely different, many representing families new to the schools and the city.
