Page 70 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

EDUCATION

H♥PES – the community school

as a beacon of hope

A National Research Foundation project is documenting the community school as a place of
hope, growth and well-being based on critical, evidence-based, collaborative research.

The NRF-funded community engagement project, Reimagining evidence-based research to develop the intellectual, conceptual,
school improvement: A collaboratively constructed framework theoretical and methodological work in partnership with the
of schools as beacons of hope that promote social cohesion in schools and communities.”
working-class communities, is located in the University’s Centre for
the Community School (CCS) in the Faculty of Education. Part of the exploration is a move away from the default definition
of a community school in the South African context, that is, just
“When we applied to the NRF for a grant through the Faculty of a school within a township. “Our argument is that a community
Education, the primary focus was to develop an understanding of school is so much more; it encourages a rich complementarity
how community schools can become beacons of hope within their that motivates and encourages individual, relational and collective
community,” says Dr Bruce Damons, principle investigator of the growth and well-being of all the stakeholders,” says Dr Damons.
three-year project.
Instead of referring to the project by its lengthy formal title, the
“We had done a lot of work in the CCS in the form of demonstrating research team is calling it “H♥PES”: H- Humanising; O-♥ (written
the potential of schools to be beacons of hope,” says Dr Damon. in the form of a heart to represent people and their connectedness
“However, we needed to back this up with critical, collaborative, within the project); P-Pedagogy; E-Engagement; S-Schools. Dr

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