WASHINGTON – The National Education Association Foundation (NEA), in partnership with Howard University, has selected Ed.D. candidate Joshua Middleton as its inaugural Community Schools Graduate Fellow. This fellowship will support the NEA Foundation’s ongoing efforts to study and affirm the critical role of educators’ voice and leadership in advancing student success through community schools. 

Middleton is an educator and doctoral student at Howard University. He holds a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education, both from Florida State University. His diverse background includes supporting teacher pipelines aimed at restoring Black educators to the classroom with the Center for Black Educator Development. As a graduate research assistant, he has conducted independent research on education policy, focusing on racial disparities in school discipline. 

“I am deeply honored to become the Community Schools Graduate Fellow with the NEA Foundation,” said Middleton. “This opportunity allows me to contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of educators in community schools, which can improve the educational experiences of countless students and educators.” 

Community schools are the product of a partnership between educators, families, policymakers, and community organizations to reflect and respond to their students’ and communities’ challenges, cultures, interests, and assets. Operating year-round from morning to evening and serving both children and adults, community schools help to close educational opportunity gaps and dismantle policies and practices that preclude some children from having a fully welcoming, supportive, and positive educational experience. 

The NEA Foundation’s Community Schools Initiative, which launched in 2020, focuses on the Deep South, one of the most under-resourced regions in the country. The insights gained from the fellowship will generate new knowledge that will inform community schools’ practice, both at the Foundation and beyond, helping to ensure that students in the Deep South and around the country have access to high-quality community schools. 

“We are thrilled to have Joshua join us as our Community Schools graduate fellow,” said Sara A. Sneed, president and CEO of the NEA Foundation. “His breadth of experience and dedication to educational equity are perfectly aligned with our mission. We are confident that his contributions will significantly enhance the community schools field’s understanding of the critical roles that educators can and do play in the design and implementation of exemplary community schools throughout the country.” 

The NEA Foundation’s Community Schools Initiative currently works with sites in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The Foundation has supported the redevelopment of numerous public schools in under-resourced communities as community schools, addressing the previously unmet needs of students and families through robust and often unprecedented family, school, and community partnerships. 

To learn more about The NEA Foundation’s Community Schools Initiative and other programs, visit www.neafoundation.org. 

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