Critical service learning, as outlined by Mitchell (2008), highlights the importance of shifting from the charity- and project-based model to a social-change model of service learning. Her call for greater attention to social change, redistribution of power, the development of authentic relationships, and, more recently with Latta (2020), futurity…

Adolescent health and well-being are abysmal due to low and declining physical activity rates, increasing mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and minimal opportunities to engage in meaningful social experiences. Adolescents who live in communities that are underserved face greater risks for experiencing health disparities…

This article presents the findings of a longitudinal study documenting the progress, challenges, adaptations, and outcomes of a strategic community--academic partnership (S-CAP) to address substance misuse between a local university and a medium-sized county in East-Central Indiana. The article details how the S-CAP built on initial successes to…

This case study focuses on the preferred instructional approaches of integrative STEM education as students encounter authentic problems in their community, analyze data, and share their evidenced-based explanations and solutions with external audiences. As the case unfolds, school leaders encounter tensions among family and community members, and…

Rural community colleges serve as engines of economic opportunity and equity, offering students place-based programs and pathways that lead to good jobs. They also develop dynamic and responsive industry partnerships, to ensure their workforce education and training curriculum, programs, and transfer pathways meet the needs of local employers and…

Community-engagement in virtual classrooms comes with unique benefits and challenges. Between 2018-2021, technical writing e-service-learning students from Indiana University East (Richmond, Indiana) raised a total of $149,239 through grant writing projects. This e-service-learning project gave students real-world experiences and opportunity to…

This study examines how the linguistic landscape of a university in the midwestern United States has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and how that change has discursively constructed the identities of the university and its community. The focus lies in the newly displayed semiotics that provides information about preventing the virus from…

Background/Context: Scholars have long critiqued the antidemocratic forces at work in education, advocating for a more equitable, liberating, and democratic vision of schooling, with teacher education taking on a central role. Mainstream teacher preparation obstructs democratic education, as evidenced by the failure to disavow and dismantle white…

Many political leaders advocate for school consolidation as a strategy for solving Indiana's school funding issues and increasing student academic performance. However, school consolidation should be a decision made by local stakeholders and community members with thoughtful consideration given to a multitude of academic and economic factors. The…

Interest in universities as anchor institutions within their communities and cities is growing as civic leaders search for ways to build local wealth. Systematic analysis of the effects of anchor institution initiatives remains difficult due to the disparate nature of anchor initiatives and a relative lack of a shared language describing the work.…

University faculty and a local community group collaborated on an event that involved raising funds for a scholarship while bringing awareness to the university's historic costume collection. As part of this program, students created an original design inspired by one of the collection's garments that was featured in a fashion show. Feedback about…

Using a case example from a mid-sized town in East Central Indiana, this article illustrates the development and implementation of a community-academic partnership (CAP), a novel approach to addressing substance misuse in local communities. A CAP can be defined as a formal, strategic partnership between the local community and university faculty,…

This brief serves as a practice-oriented companion to "Recommitting to Stewardship of Place: Creating and Sustaining Thriving Communities for the Decades Ahead" (Orphan & McClure, 2022)[ED627610]. Whereas the philosophical report provides a set of principles that constitute stewardship in a new postsecondary context, this…

The narrative woven throughout this article elevates the persistence, perseverance, resilience, and resolve of a neighborhood anchored in faith, and fiercely devoted to its children. Contextualized through its rich history of mobilization for social justice, this story uplifts and defends the cultural wealth of a historically marginalized…

Financial concerns and public scrutiny are causing many educational leaders and community stakeholders to study the district configurations of school corporations, academic preparation, and ideal school size. The purpose of this qualitative case-study research design was to identify and better understand successful small school districts as…