The development of effective regional collaborations is essential to address interconnected challenges across education, workforce development, and economic growth. When community colleges, employers, and workforce development boards work together, they can align goals, share resources, and design strategies that strengthen regional economies.…

Rural regions across the United States are facing enduring challenges in aligning postsecondary education with industry and workforce development to advance economic mobility. The Tristate Energy and Advanced Manufacturing (TEAM) Consortium--which spans 45 counties across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia--brings together ten community…

This article presents an overview of intergenerational programs and practices as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry and practice that fosters open communication, support, and civic engagement across generations. Numerous examples of how intergenerational programs and practices harness age diversity to improve the human condition are presented.…

Objective: This study investigated the efficacy of a two-component professional development approach to improving school wellness in Pennsylvania secondary schools. Design: Circle of Wellness (CoW), a year-long, two-phase programme, involved providing Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) workshops to Pennsylvania school staff and…

Global citizenship is critical to the development of a globally ready 21st century workforce in food, fiber, and natural resources. The global citizenship model utilized in this study includes domains of social responsibility, global competency and global civic engagement. The knowledge, skills, and dispositions of educators are critical factors…

Responding to concerning reports regarding common world language classroom practices failing to meet a communicative standard (Burke, 2011; 2014), acknowledging the critical shortage of teachers in the United States, and reacting to the call by Madel (2020) to leverage teacher leadership to promote pedagogical development within the field, this…

In collaboration with an urban public school, teacher candidates at a nearby university created a social-emotional skills project called Knight Brigade. The author discusses the project planning, implementation, and results as part of this ongoing partnership.

Objective: To evaluate the benefits of the Fast Track Friendship Group program implemented as a stand-alone school-based intervention on the social cognitions, social behavior, peer and teacher relationships of peer-rejected students. Method: Over four successive years, 224 peer-rejected elementary students (57% White, 17% Black, 20% Latinx, 5%…

This study seeks to understand from the perspective of its participants the extent to which a year-long structured, state-level peer mentorship program for world language educators provides benefits, focusing on how involvement impacts their classroom practices and professional development. Research questions explore the specific advantages gained…

Using the Pennsylvania Department of Education Family/Community Standards, university professors from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford collaborated with multiple community clubs such as the Rotary and Kiwanis as well as local agencies including St. Bonaventure University on the development and implementation of a family literacy day event…

Interactive teaching strategies provide opportunities for engaging children in discussing difficult concepts such as socio-emotional wellbeing and wide range of ideas about their social and personal lives. However, few studies have explored preschool teachers' efficacy of using coaching through 'Play and puppetry programs as approaches to…

Trauma informed research related to school initiatives focuses on the framework and implementation of initiatives instead of intensive evaluations and measures of effectiveness (Christian-Brandt et al., 2020). To address the gap in research, this study focused on the central question, "what is the experience of participants that have…

Over the last decade, there has been ample evidence reporting the lack of high-quality and compliant Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in the United States. This problem has many consequences, including poor student outcomes and failure to follow legal due process. Despite these consequences, research has not thoroughly examined the…

A university was awarded a "Teacher Prep to Practice" grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education for a project titled "Developing Culturally-Relevant Aspiring Teachers." The university collaborated with local school districts to host 2, 3-day "summer institute" professional development sessions, focusing on…

Empathy plays a vital role in improving student engagement and supporting organizational change in schools. In fact, empathy is widely recognized as an essential skill for integration during such efforts. In collaboration with Battelle for Kids, the Cumberland Valley School District in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, launched a vision for school…