Based on the article "Participation and Reification: Two Basic Design Principles for Mathematics Professional Development Programs" (Gómez-Blancarte & Miranda, 2021), this commentary aims to discuss how Wenger's concepts of participation and reification may be used in the design of a MPDP. The meanings of participation and…

This article deals with my experience of struggling with mental health while trying to succeed in a management department. I will explore the realities of working as an academic in a business school, my experience as a new faculty member with mental health issues, the stigma I encountered, and how mental illness has challenged my opportunity for…

While collective teacher efficacy has potential to improve teacher practice and student learning, there's a risk this concept will be used to further burden teachers through assuming a positive, confident attitude can overcome all barriers to learning--even without good conditions for teaching in place. France argues that collective efficacy must…

This article presents reflections on a symposium on eudaimonia and music learning, from the perspective of one of the organizers. The symposium had been planned as a traditional, in person event in the United States, but was held online in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Despite shortcomings, the video-conferencing format possibly created…

Students learn best when their out-of-school literacy experiences are incorporated into daily classroom instruction. Teachers who participate in community-based initiatives, develop relationships and acquire knowledge and skills needed for this type of instructional practice. They get to know students, families, and community cultural brokers who…

This paper presents a view of action research (AR) as a valuable way in which teachers can pose fertile questions and engage in inquiry with transformative possibilities. This counters claims of its being at best a sterile method of teacher research and at worst a perilous trap for teachers. Chris Higgins has argued that AR has lost its original…

The theme of both "Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement" volume 12 issues 1 and 2 collectively, is "Faculty Motivation for Engagement in Public Scholarship." Herein Dwight Giles, Jr. touches upon each article in issue 2, specifically, noting the variability of the central terminology that is used across authors…

In this commentary, author Dwight Giles, Jr. reflects on his 2008 article, "Understanding an Emerging Field of Scholarship: Toward a Research Agenda for Engaged, Public Scholarship," reprinted in this 20th anniversary issue of "Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement." In his original article, Giles argued that…

In this commentary, author Barbara Holland reflects on her 1999 "Journal of Public Service & Outreach" article, "Factors and Strategies That Influence Faculty Involvement in Public Service" (EJ589785) reprinted in this 20th anniversary issue of "Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement." In the late…

The author spends a lot of time thinking about good professional learning vs. typical professional development. Based on her 20-plus years of experience, as well as a bit of inspiration from Reuben Duncan, assistant superintendent in School Administrative Unit 29 in Keene, N.H., she shares what she considers to be the ten best ways to waste…

The authors in this special issue on systems-level consultation provide an excellent range of models for how school psychologists can work as system-level consultants within the various communities they serve. This article (a) provides commentary on the four articles in this special issue focused on systems-level consultation to serve diverse…

In this "RiDE" themed edition on environmentalism, some short pieces are chosen where practitioners describe their own specific environmental practices. Zoe Svendsen and Lucy Neal point to the positives in two commissioned works ("The Trashcatchers' Carnival" and "3rd Ring Out"), underlining the importance of…

While Woocher's vision for the future of Jewish education is ambitious, the ability to deliver any plan successfully depends upon the strengths of professionals and the guidance and support provided for them. This author contends that unless people create opportunities for teachers/educators to explore common issues, seek possible solutions, and…

Faculty members who led change initiatives often express frustration at the roadblocks created by other faculty members or groups. In 2009 George Kuh and Stanley Ikenberry undertook a survey of provosts for the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment to explore the state of student learning assessment. They found that "Gaining faculty…

In this article the author discusses the role that committees play within a university's bureaucracy. This article takes a close look at key committees on the university campus and how they shape policy and practice. It explores how committees can prove to be a vital and needed avenue to change. The author sees committees as "the life blood…