More and more cities and counties fund and run their own early childhood programs, but each seems to operate them in its own unique way. While the opportunity to design and build a new program can be inspiring, the process itself can be painstaking and fraught with second guesses. Unfortunately, there are few resources to help policymakers and…

These brief remarks delve into the essence of community as purposeful connection. Through collaborative design interventions, it explores what it means to build relationships within communities in pursuit of environmental justice. The author shares his experiences from two research projects, which offer insights for community-based researchers…

This theoretical paper anchors service learning (S-L) in three broad sociological theories. From there, discussions on the actual implementation of S-L based on these theories are explained to build an integrated S-L sociological framework. Four S-L modalities of community engagement are identified--namely transactional, transitional,…

As community-based global learning (CBGL) programs become more common on college/university campuses and utilize the UN's Sustainable Development Goals to guide programmatic outcomes, open-access evaluation instruments that both benchmark and effectively measure programmatic enhancements over time are needed. The 147-item Community Engagement and…

This article contributes to a long-standing conversation about the implementation of service-learning by proposing an updated revision for the 21st century: critically engaged civic learning (CECL). The term service-learning is problematic as it invokes inequitable power dynamics that inherently privilege one group over another, with more…

Since its inception nine years ago, CPED members have re-envisioned and implemented a new purpose for the professional practice doctorate in education, or Ed.D. This new purpose is grounded in the goal of preparing doctoral students to serve as scholarly practitioners, those who engage community as stakeholders in the process of improving problems…

This article reviews the literature on challenges faced by engineering faculty in educating their students on community-engaged, sustainable technical solutions in developing countries. We review a number of approaches to increasing teaching modules on social and community components of international development education, from adding capstone…

Discusses research-based guidelines for designing effective service-learning programs. Success requires establishing clear goals, projecting desired outcomes, involving staff who support experiential learning, engaging administrators who support flexibility and staff development, involving community partners in planning, incorporating evaluation…

Unlike classical experimental evaluation techniques, this evaluation design is intended to accommodate maximum flexibility and a dual purpose: to learn from the program under scrutiny and to help the program in its efforts. The program being evaluated here is the PUSH for Excellence (PUSH-EXCEL) Program whose activities focus on promoting an…

The Kuru Development Trust is a development support program that is owned and controlled by the communities in which the organization operates, the majority being San, or Bushmen, communities in the Kalahari region of Africa. Following a holistic approach to development, Kuru is involved in a wide range of activities, including income-generating…

This report, the second in a series of six, describes the PUSH for Excellence (PUSH-EXCEL) Project--its origins, goals, approach, and extent of implementation. Each of the six reports tracks PUSH-EXCEL's progress in six sites: Chattanooga, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Memphis. Chapter 1 discusses the social movement that became…

Community involvement protects students from the adverse impact of school failure in several ways that are particularly important for African Americans. Issues of program design, informal community involvement, and community contributions to school outcomes merit further study. (SLD)

Beginning in fall 1982 the Aurora West Public Schools (Illinois) conducted a multi-year study to identify the nature of their instructional programs and to establish a set of position statements that would serve as guides for program review and change. A significant element of the process was the involvement of the entire staff in development of…

A model and supportive materials are presented for design and implementation of a program for involving citizens in decision-making concerning significant environmental issues. Chapter topics include: why citizen involvement? (potential benefits of the process); theoretical basis for citizen involvement (three fundamental perspectives underlying…

We examine the issues involved in creating and maintaining a successful collaboration between university-based researchers and community members when designing and implementing the Parents Matter! Program (PMP). The roles of focus groups, community advisory boards, and community liaisons are highlighted. PMP provides an illustration of the ongoing…