About Claudia

Claudia L. Edwards has devoted her career to improving the quality of life for families throughout New York State. As an innovator in executive leadership and corporate philanthropy, she has succeeded in building public, private, and community partnerships to respond to gaps in education, health and human services, and affordable housing. She has held positions as Executive Director for the Housing and Neighborhood Development Institute in Mount Vernon ...


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Research

Building Civic Capacity: A Strategy for Improving Public Education in Communities with High Concentrations of Minority Students

The scope of this research explores meaningful ways the public in a Black-led community can galvanize to address the educational needs of children attending schools within its district. It draws upon the principles of Paulo Freire and his Theory of the Oppressed to examine the political human dynamics which shape the education debate ...


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Recent Publications

"In this important and fascinating study, Dr. Edwards has taken a problem no one wants to talk about, and done it with sensitivity and courage..."

Anne T. Henderson
Senior Consultant, Community Organizing and Engagement
Annenberg Institute for School Reform

Who Stole Public Schools from the Public? is about the politics of public education in the city of Mount Vernon, New York. Based on two years of qualitative research this case study examines the “public” and its relationship with the Mount Vernon Public School District.

At a time when cuts in state funding face the district, administrators need the full support of the community to fight for resources so vital to the district’s ability to deliver high-performing schools. Instead, we find a district virtually abandoned by its Mount Vernon public. While this phenomenon of low parent involvement ...


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Edwards Consulting Group

In 2009, New York State’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) awarded The Community Environmental Center (CEC) funding over two years to put into practice the goals of President Obama’s stimulus bill. Committed to investing in New York City youth, the president of CEC made the decision to use part of the organization’s stimulus dollars to build upon its years of experience in weatherization and energy efficiency and its expert team of energy professionals to offer rich job experiences to disconnected New York City youth ...


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