This article showcases STEM as an interdisciplinary field in which the disciplines strengthen and support each other (not as separate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines). The authors focus on an open-ended, complex problem--water quality--as the primary teaching and learning task. The participants, middle school female…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how learners describe their experiences with short-term, introductory maker experiences and to test a method for assessing learners' experiences authentic to short-term learning. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collected written responses from participants at a two-day event, STEM Center…

In this paper we study the impact on student absenteeism of a large school-based community crime monitoring program that employed local community members to monitor and report crime on designated city blocks during students' travel to and from school. We find that the program resulted in a 0.78 percentage point reduction in the school-level…

This article was designed to explore the behaviors observed and document the interactions of older and younger siblings in a children's choir rehearsal environment. Observations by a music education student observer, the director/teacher of the group, and some parent recollections indicate that the sibling interactions do have a primarily positive…

Research supports the common understanding that spending enjoyable time in nature is one of the most reliable ways of reducing stress indicators such as heart rate and blood pressure. This article describes a pilot program in which the Chicago Botanic Garden leveraged nature's stress-reducing qualities to complement a program for veterans in…

This article describes a year-long participatory arts project carried out as part of a community--university partnership in the South of England. The research sought to examine the relationship between the 'user-led' ethos of the Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project (BUCFP) and emergence within it of creatively working and self-managing…

This study reviews a group approach in empowering the community through waste recycling activities related to the development of human resources in Jakarta. The specific objectives to be achieved are the wish to understand and find: (1) Conditions of waste recycling empowerment in Jakarta, (2) Mechanisms of a group approach in empowering…

Cognitive gains in science content linked to single zoo visits are well evidenced; zoos are unique educational settings. Not only do they foster learning about the natural world, but they also help young people to connect with wildlife (Jensen, 2014; Pearson et al., 2014). Even out-of-classroom experiences of short duration can evoke strong…

This article examines the perceptions of students who observed their adult family members' participation and also participated in Connection and Access through Technology (CAtT), a family-oriented community-based program that taught technology skills to adult family members of school-aged children. This qualitative study applies conceptions of…

Teachers' professional development in Schools as Learning Communities may become a key process for the sustainability and transferability of this model worldwide. Learning Communities (LC) is a community-based project that aims to transform schools through dialogic learning and involves research-grounded schools that implement Successful…

This article explores the interaction between popular culture, community-based education, and the establishment of a critically literate debate community, using the case of City Debate as one example of how critical literacy is embedded and taught through curriculum. Debate has historically been conceptualized as a structurally rigid space for…

Since the spring of 2014, the authors of this article, joined by a wider group of students, have been dedicated to researching vulnerable families and their involvement with education systems. In the initial phase, we explored the experiences and challenges that these families face and how they understand and address these challenges. Next, we…

Purpose: This study discusses the process of co-constructing a prototype pedagogical model for working with youth from socially vulnerable backgrounds. Participants and settings: This six-month activist research project was conducted in a soccer program in a socially vulnerable area of Brazil in 2013. The study included 17 youths, 4 coaches, a…

The objective of this transformative action research project was to explore and develop sustainable methods to promote female empowerment through science education in rural, disadvantaged sectors of South Africa. In an attempt to achieve this we collaborated with local community members to develop and implement a contextualized science curriculum…

Peer-to-peer learning is gaining increasing attention in nonformal community-based environmental education. This article evaluates a novel modification of a concept for peer-to-peer learning about residential energy solutions (Open Homes). We organized collective "Energy Walks" visiting several homes with novel energy solutions and…