How the GRAD Partnership is helping East Carolina University be more relevant and impactful in our region
September 11, 2025
Shawnda Cherry, Jacqueline Allen, Jerry Johnson, Rural Education Institute, College of Education, East Carolina University
East Carolina University (ECU) aspires to be a national model for student success, public service, and regional transformation. In the ECU College of Education, the Rural Education Institute (REI) pursues that goal with a specific focus on rural schools and communities. As one of the flagship programs in the REI, the GRAD Partnership provides a model and mechanism for meeting our goals and fulfilling our aspirations to the benefit of students, families, and communities in rural eastern North Carolina. Notably, we’re talking here about more than simple alignment (i.e., the idea that the structure and content of the GRAD Partnership matches up with the purpose and mission of REI). Our experience suggests that the partnership has elevated our work’s relevance and impact.
Our Role
The mission of REI is to initiate and facilitate partnerships and research-driven innovations that enhance holistic development and opportunities for PK-16 students and their families in rural communities. REI also aims to collaborate with stakeholders towards positive transformation in families and schools.
To fulfill that mission, we are committed to
- Building, strengthening, and nurturing relationships built on mutual benefit
- Supporting partners in implementing innovations that link academic research to practice and policy
- Empowering partners to embrace innovations and make them work in their own specific settings
Following are some highlights that show how GRAD Partnership activities are enhancing our efforts in these three areas.
Building, strengthening, and nurturing relationships built on mutual benefit
As the Southeast Lead for the GRAD Partnership ECU cohort schools, Jacqui Allen has relied on both her 25 years as a school counselor and teacher, and her lived experience as a “country girl” from Eastern North Carolina. These roots matter because the schools in this cohort are part of both her professional and personal journey. Her history highlights her commitment to bring access and opportunity to places that have also contributed to her journey as an educator and parent.
Initially, Jacqui used pre-existing personal and professional relationships as an avenue to get schools to participate in the partnership. At Ayden-Grifton High School, she leveraged the fact that she is an alumnus of the school to connect with the current counselors. Since her children are recent graduates of J. H. Rose High School, she reached out to the counselors that she knew still worked at the school. She could identify some of the challenges of the schools based on both her personal experience as a parent and former student at the schools and as a certified counselor. At Kinston High School, her entry point came through a close friend as well. These professional and personal ties meant that when she walked into schools in this cohort, she was not a stranger—she was returning to communities she knew. This gave her insight and clarity around the needs and possible solutions that the GRAD Partnership could address. As is common in rural communities, building trust is essential for gaining entry. Relationships are the foundation for these school partnerships; the GRAD Partnership framework also recognizes the importance of strong relationships as one of its essential elements.
Supporting partners in implementing innovations that link academic research to practice and policy
From the beginning, Jacqui has been intentional about positioning the GRAD partnership as a support, not an added requirement or burden. Her approach to schools has been with “hat in hand”—not asking for mandatory trainings or compliance with outsiders who are far removed from the classroom. She also did not ask them to implement a new “plug and play” initiative. Instead, she offered resources, encouragement, and additional resources that schools could use to strengthen their existing student success systems. Given the excessive demands on schools and the counselors, this approach makes it less intimidating and more attractive for schools to jump on board. Similarly, GRAD Partnership emphasizes to schools that the efforts to put into place student success systems are not new initiatives, but rather a way to organize the existing work that schools are already doing in a more holistic way.
In campus visits and convenings, Jacqui has worked to bridge national research and local practice. Coaches from American Institutes of Research (AIR) introduced data strategies around attendance and course performance to the school staff, and Jacqui also ensured these systems were paired with a focus on belonging, connectedness, and student voice. Research demonstrates that connectedness is a critical factor for promoting student success systems. She has introduced her schools to the storytelling strategies from the Rural Schools Collaborative. One of Jacqui’s goals is to highlight the strengths of rural educators so they can feel that the national partnership recognizes their value and builds on their lived experiences.
Empowering partners to embrace innovations and make them work in their own specific settings
At a meeting this spring, schools brainstormed how to use flexible grant funding to benefit their specific students. Ideas ranged from Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) celebrations and End of Course (EOC) testing kickoffs to mentoring programs. The flexibility of the program was essential to making the innovations feel as though they belonged to the schools and were not forced on schools.
Ultimately, the goal Jacqui has for schools is for them to feel empowered to share their stories about their ability to implement systems that influence change and produce better outcomes for their students. In this partnership, schools develop student success teams that distribute responsibility, increase collaboration, and reflect honestly on the progress. The data that is collected is not used to punish but instead to celebrate progress and to tell their stories. Whether these stories are about fewer absences or creative mentoring programs, the schools are the authors and can write their own narrative through the work they are engaged in.
Through intentional weaving together of her personal history and professional advocacy, Jacqui has been able to bring a sense of connectedness into every meeting, school visit, and phone call. Rural Eastern NC has long felt like the “forgotten” part of our state, overlooked in favor of larger hubs. Through the GRAD Partnership, the region is positioned to push back against that narrative—ensuring schools in our cohort not only receive resources but also see themselves lifted up as models of resilience, innovation, and community strength.