(Originally published by the Stanford Office of Community Engagement on January 14, 2025.)

Stanford supports community engagement hubs to make a difference through community impact projects that are co-created with non-profits and governmental organizations. The collaborations rely on relationships built over time.

The 2025 projects were chosen by a campus selection committee and focus on improving healthy and resilient communities in the Bay Area. Additionally, two-year projects focused on deeper engagement commitments continues through 2025.

View all of the 2025 Community Engagement Projects

Roses Talk: Elevating At-Promise Student Voices in San Jose Unified

• Community Collaborators: San José Unified School District and Henry T. Gunderson High School
• Stanford Leadership: Subini Annamma, Graduate School of Education; Ralph Richard Banks and Hoang Pham, Stanford Center for Racial Justice, Stanford Law School

This project seeks to address persistent racial disparities in education by elevating the voices of the most marginalized students in educational decision-making. San José Unified School District leaders expressed an urgent need to better understand how to support its “at-promise” student population, those who are at greatest risk of failing to graduate and disproportionately identify as students of color. Through a policy lab course, Stanford students will engage in community-based research at Gunderson High School, conducting focus group interviews with students to identify how they would shape school and/or district policies to improve their educational outcomes. Using this data, Stanford students will develop policy recommendations aimed at improving engagement and academic outcomes for students at Gunderson and in SJUSD. They will present findings to school leaders during a spring convening at Stanford. The award supports the qualitative research and policy development process, honoraria for student participants, the convening, and a video documenting project impact.

About the Stanford Center for Racial Justice

The Stanford Center for Racial Justice works to counter racial division and political polarization through rigorous research and thought-provoking conversations that analyze the racial dimensions of some of the most contentious and consequential issues in American society. By doing so without fealty to any particular ideological perspective, we undermine ignorance and certainty alike, promoting a sense of inquiry and curiosity and an appreciation for a diverse range of perspectives.