Thomas Smith, Ph.D., affiliated lecturer in the School of Kinesiology, presented a paper, “School District Community Ambassadors for Improving Student Academic Achievement,” at a conference held March 1.  The conference, “Advancing Publicly-Engaged Research, Teaching and Learning to Address Society’s Grand Challenges,” was sponsored by the University of Minnesota. Smith’s presentation advocates the development of a school community ambassador program aimed at supporting students’ academic performance by tightening school community integration. Evidence indicates that the socioeconomic status of a community is positively correlated with the academic performance of students in community