About
Mission and Vision
Our Mission
The mission of the ECU Community School is to educate the whole child through a web of support that
thrives through our partnerships.
Our Vision
We will build a school culture that emphasizes safety, respect and love of the children and families we serve. It is our mission to engage children in learning experiences that support their curiosity, creativity, inquiry, and intellectual growth. It is our mission to create a school that respects children’s strengths and meets their needs. The ECU Community School acknowledges and supports the integration of health, wellness and learning. Through the ECU Community School, we will empower students, families and teachers to become informed engaged and resilient citizens in our community. It is our mission to cultivate and support a love of lifelong learning and growth for students and their families.
Context
A Partnership between ECU and Pitt County Schools
East Carolina University has a long standing tradition of preparing educators and engaging in partnership with Pitt County Schools. In 1914, East Carolina Teacher Training School (which later was renamed East Carolina University) opened a laboratory school in collaboration with Greenville Graded Schools (which is now a part of Pitt County Public Schools). The model school was designed to provide an opportunity for school-age students to be exposed to innovative teaching methods from university faculty and teachers in training. The Model School was renamed Wahl-Coates Laboratory School in honor of two educators who had served the school for 30 years. The school expanded and moved to several sites to include the site where Wahl-Coates Elementary is currently located. With the expansion of East Carolina University, the laboratory school was disbanded and Wahl-Coates Elementary was absorbed into the local school system.
The ECU Community School is a new chapter in the partnership between East Carolina University and Pitt County Schools, a venture that will maintain the strengths of the past lab school models and the long-standing relationship of the two organizations while once again coming together to create a spectrum of services for children while providing a space for innovation, practice and research.