According to the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Paula Dominguez, candidate for Barrington School Committee, knows what it takes to build community-wide learning opportunities. The federal agency recently asked Dominguez to help identify the most promising candidates for a slice of $60 million in competitive funds to be awarded through the department’s signature Promise Neighborhoods program. The Promise Neighborhoods program provides support for school-community partnerships that pair schools with pre-kindergarten, arts education, access to technology, and health services in distressed areas.

Dominguez, who earned her doctoral degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and has studied top performing school systems throughout the world, was selected based on her broad understanding of effective education practices and programs, coupled with her expertise in strategy and policy.

 “I am delighted that my knowledge of what works in school and community improvement could be put to good use by the U.S. Department of Education,” she stated, “As an expert reviewer, my responsibilities centered on scrutinizing the plans and culling out the applicants that are best positioned to leverage the funds, based on effective operational and management infrastructures, a solid business plan, financial stability, and potential partners. The Promise Neighborhoods program is funded by taxpayer dollars and my review emphasized ensuring that communities build their improvement strategy based on solid evidence of the impact on children’s well-being.”

Dominguez pointed out that the Promise Neighborhood applicants envisioned putting into place many of the assets Barrington enjoys: schools with committed teachers and leaders, active parents, and a community that provides meaningful opportunities for collaboration. “Children today face many challenges to their learning and well-being. Their potential inside the classroom is maximized when they have access to a caring community outside of the classroom. This is just as true in Barrington as it is in other communities across the nation,” Dominguez observed.

Dominguez has completed her critical review of proposals from among the almost 250 applicants. The U.S. Department of Education is expected to make a final announcement regarding the winners by December of this year.