Community Service

In 1994, MPR began offering hands-on research opportunities to students of the Berkeley (California) High School Community Partnerships Academy, a small school within the larger high school. To date, MPR has worked with more than 100 students through this program.

Working with MPR research staff, students conduct a group research project on an issue of interest to them. Past research topics have included homelessness, racism, and school violence. To make students’ work more meaningful, MPR finds a sponsor for the research. Previous sponsors have included the University of California President’s Office, the Berkeley Unified School District, and the office of the mayor of Berkeley.

As part of the project, students create and administer a survey and then analyze their findings. The end result is a professional research report and a public presentation given by the students, often before Berkeley’s mayor and city council.

This community service project helps students strengthen their research skills, learn professional behavior, and build their technology and communications skills. In the process, they acquire knowledge that can help them make more informed decisions about their future.