About Us

The Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies was founded to help improve the quality of life in urban New Jersey through research and demonstration projects. Our work aims to improve the quality of life for children and families who have experienced setbacks due to decades of inequitable policies and practices and urban disinvestment. To this end, education equity is one of the focal points of our research. Empowering communities and their stakeholders through research is another focal point. Good research can be an important tool for change, but much research comes and goes without mattering very much. At Cornwall, we think hard about doing research that makes a difference. In partnership with stakeholders and community members, our educational equity work has three areas of focus: Research and Data, Partnerships and Community Capacity, and Programs and Opportunities.