Search
Close this search box.

Dogwood Health Trust Shares Findings from K-12 Landscape Analysis, Announces Webinar

Share This Article

Scholars from the Education and Policy Initiative at Carolina will present regional findings during an Oct. 26 webinar.

Asheville, N.C. – Dogwood Health Trust announced today the availability of a comprehensive landscape study of K-12 education in Western North Carolina. The research and analysis, conducted by the Education and Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC), highlights the strengths in the region’s K-12 schools and the opportunities for Dogwood and its partners to better promote the wellbeing of students throughout Western North Carolina. The full report is available for free download on Dogwood’s website. Dogwood will host a webinar with the researchers from EPIC on October 26 at 12:00 p.m. to review the findings in more detail. All members of the community are invited to attend and can register using this link.

Dogwood commissioned A Landscape Analysis of K-12 Education Outcomes in Western North Carolina to help inform its future investments in K-12 education. EPIC, a group of quantitative and qualitative scholars at UNC Chapel Hill, conducted this rigorous research by comparing data on the K-12 students, educators and schools in Western North Carolina with those of other parts of the state. EPIC also explored how our region’s students, teachers and schools fared during the COVID pandemic. The report found that students with disabilities, students of color, specifically African American students, and students in our lowest wealth communities had less access and academic success.

“For every student in Western North Carolina to graduate ready for college or career, one of our wisest investments is in the systems and programs that support academic growth and social-emotional health. What happens before the first bell and after that last bell of the school day is so critical to what goes on during the school day,” said Dr. Ereka Williams, Vice President – Education at Dogwood Health Trust. “This study gives us data specific to Western North Carolina and quantifies the opportunities we currently have to better promote the wellbeing of all students in WNC”

To achieve its goal for all WNC students to graduate ready for college or career, Dogwood is bolstering K-12 learning experiences, addressing K-12 workforce challenges, and equipping families of students with resources to support academic growth and social-emotional health. Dogwood is also increasing the capacity of partners throughout the region, so they are able to provide additional support and services. Guided by this recent study, Dogwood will amplify its work around K-12 education by:

  • Collaborating with other Strategic Priority areas to launch the Career and Technical Education Credentialing Effort, in which K-12 public school units and Community College partners in the region support middle, secondary and post-secondary learners with career and college readiness skills and credentials needed to rebuild our WNC economy and community.
  • Initiating the WNC After 3PM Effort with inventory of afterschool, weekend, and summer opportunities that support our K-12 youth across the region, and determine our best path forward for building on the abilities of community partners across the region to collaborate, align and deepen out-of-school opportunities
  • Initiating an Equity and Community Confidence Effort to increase engagement and close gaps in achievement, retention, and graduation rates in K-12 schools across the region  

“Dogwood is continuing to gather key data and commission studies that will better inform our strategies and support the work of partners in the region,” said Dr. Susan Mims, CEO for Dogwood Health Trust. “We hope that our partners and others working with our region’s K12 students will find this comprehensive study to be a valuable resource.”

The study’s authors, Kevin C. Bastian, PhD, Sarah C. Fuller, PhD, and Camille Mikkelsen will present their findings and offer a high-level analysis in addition to answering questions during an informational webinar on Oct. 26, 2022 at 12:00pm. Anyone is welcome to attend and may register here.

###

About Dogwood Health Trust

Dogwood Health Trust is a private foundation based in Asheville, North Carolina with the sole purpose of dramatically improving the health and wellbeing of all people and communities of 18 counties and the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust focuses on innovative and equitable ways to address the many factors that contribute to overall health and wellbeing, with a focus on housing, education, economic opportunity, and health and wellness. Dogwood Health Trust works to create a Western North Carolina where every generation can live, learn, earn and thrive, with dignity and opportunity for all, no exceptions. To learn more, please visit www.dht.org.

Press Contact

Erica Allison
828.358.4867
[email protected]

Formation PR
735 Locust St.
Hendersonville, NC 28792

Media Requests

Full Color Dogwood Health Trust logo

Additional Press Coverage and News

Related Posts

Translate »

Join our mailing list to receive updates on our latest news, funding opportunities, and more.

Health & Wellness | Goal 4

Increase Access to Behavioral Health and Substance Use Prevention and Treatment

Support programs and networks that reduce deaths, treat addiction, and prevent first use

Objective 4.1: Reduce opioid overdose mortality throughout the region

Objective 4.2: Reduce untreated behavioral health and substance use disorder in disproportionately affected communities

Objective 4.3: Prevent and reduce behavioral health issues and substance use (tobacco, alcohol, illicit and prescription drugs) in youth

Health & Wellness | Goal 3

Address Health Disparities

Help reduce disparities based on race, location, education and income factors

Objective 3.1: Improve health outcomes for women and infants in rural and low-income communities and communities of color

Objective 3.2: Reduce the prevalence of common chronic health diseases in disproportionately affected communities

Objective 3.3: Increase effectiveness of health care through delivery of culturally aligned services

Health & Wellness | Goal 2

Increase Access to Whole-Person Health Care

Invest in integrated heath care with seamless connections to supportive services

Objective 2.1: Increase the number of people with affordable health insurance coverage

Objective 2.2: Increase the available workforce for primary and allied health care services

Objective 2.3: Increase access to comprehensive and integrated care

Objective 2.4: Increase access to community-based services in low-income, elderly and rural communities

Health & Wellness | Goal 1

Support and Build Healthy Communities

Support communities that promote healthy living and resiliency and help mitigate the impact of trauma, isolation and stress on individuals and families, especially those experiencing poverty

Objective 1.1: Decrease adverse experiences (ACEs and traumatic violence) and improve individual and family resiliency

Objective 1.2: Increase access to community environments that promote healthy living and social connectedness across the age continuum

Economic Opportunity | Goal 4

Foster Entrepreneurship

Support a well-funded, sustainable, competitive entrepreneur and small business ecosystem throughout the region

Objective 4.1: Increase the number of Person of Color (POC)-led small businesses throughout the region

Objective 4.2: Increase the number of rural small businesses throughout the region

Economic Opportunity | Goal 3

Build Economic Ecosystems

Help build a regional economic ecosystem that supports increased creation/retention of jobs and business ownership

Objective 3.1: Improve access to higher-paying jobs throughout the region, targeting the lowest income populations

Objective 3.2: Increase and retain quality jobs

Objective 3.3: Stimulate economic growth, catalyzing businesses and revenue

Economic Opportunity | Goal 2

Promote Work Readiness

Help build a skilled workforce with the knowledge and technical abilities to excel in a wide range of industry employment opportunities that provide a competitive, sustainable wage

Objective 2.1: Close the educational attainment gap in WNC, staying on pace with regional and county-specific projections (myFutureNC 2030).

Economic Opportunity | Goal 1

Develop a Comprehensive Data Resource

Source, analyze and share a comprehensive, county-by-county data set that paints a full picture of work readiness, economic development and entrepreneurial needs and opportunities specific to Western North Carolina

Education | Goal 3

Support Higher Education Career Readiness

Work in tandem with Economic Opportunity Strategic Priority to invest in career readiness at the community college and university levels

Objective 4.1: Close the educational attainment gap in WNC, staying on pace with regional and county-specific projections (myFutureNC 2030).

Education | Goal 2

Improve K-12 Education

Support K-12 learning experiences with the resources and sustainability to provide an excellent academic and social-emotional education, so that all students graduate ready for college or career

Objective 2.1: Address teacher workforce challenges

Objective 2.2: Equip families of students to support academic growth and social-emotional health

Objective 2.3: Increase capacity of partners to provide supports and services, particularly for children facing challenges related to poverty, systemic racism, being differently abled or English language learners

Education | Goal 1

Improve Early Childhood Education Ecosystem

Invest in an improved early childhood education ecosystem with the resources and sustainability to provide developmentally appropriate, affordable and accessible education and care to support ages birth to five, so that all children in WNC enter kindergarten ready to learn

Objective: Address early childhood educator workforce challenges

Education | Goal 4

Develop a Comprehensive Landscape Study

Source, analyze and share a comprehensive set of publicly available data that provides a regularly updated, county-by-county picture of access, workforce and student outcomes in early childhood education and K-12 education specific to Western North Carolina

Housing | Goal 5

Use Impact Investments to Create Affordable and Workforce Housing

Loans, guarantees, and other financial tools to leverage funding opportunities

Housing | Goal 4

Create and Preserve Housing Units for Persons Below 50% of the Median Income

Increase affordable housing for lowest-income individuals and families

Objective 4.1: Create rental units for households below 50% of the median income

Objective 4.2: Help families pay no more than 30% of their income on housing

Objective 4.3: Create and preserve communities in a way that is representative of the WNC natural landscape

Housing | Goal 3

Create and Preserve Senior Housing

Support age-appropriate resources in affordable and workforce units, rental and owned

Objective 3.1: Create needed rental and homeownership opportunities for seniors

Objective 3.2: Incorporate supportive services in rental housing developments

Objective 3.3: Increase use of universal design in development

Housing | Goal 2

Create and Preserve Supportive Housing Rental Units

Invest in housing with sustainable supports for physical and mental health and wellbeing

Objective 2.1: Create new supportive housing

Objective 2.2: Preserve existing supportive housing

Objective 2.3: Leverage state and federal funds

Single story home in the midst of being build with 3 volunteers helping.

Housing | Goal 1

Support Healthy and Safe Revitalization Opportunities

Support healthy and safe revitalizations that work against displacement and gentrification, preserve home ownership and create generational wealth.

Objective 1.1: Revitalize Neighborhoods

Objective 1.2: Repurpose existing structures to minimize environmental impact

Objective 1.3: Support home ownership