This historical case-study examines the evolution of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium during its "community engagement period" from 2004 to 2008, which coincided with the formation of the Worcester UniverCity Partnership, a broad attempt to bring the colleges in Worcester, the City, the business community, and the neighborhoods into…

Despite solid foundations for service-learning at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), the economic context of higher education in California, and in particular the CSU system, has created significant challenges for service-learning practitioners. This article provides an overview of the institutional foundations in place at CSUMB…

Long-term impacts from a senior course in Environmental Studies were evaluated by a survey of program graduates (36 respondents, 50% response rate) who had participated in the course over an 8-year permiod. Each year, the Senior Seminar used a service-learning pedagogy with a different environmentally focused project ranging from web resource…

There is an interesting contrast to be found between President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan: Whereas Obama regularly refers to the current economic situation as the "Great Recession," Duncan instead labels it as "The New Normal." Only one of these can be correct--and the implications for educators are profound. The author…

This article features the University of Houston's Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2012. Born 40 years ago after a hard-fought battle between the University of Houston's (UH) administration and the Mexican American Youth Organization in 1972, the Center for Mexican American Studies has grown…

Indicator 14: Post-School Outcomes are assessed each year by every school district in every state to evaluate outcomes for all students with disabilities, including learning disabilities, beyond secondary school. Data collection is mandated to focus on post-secondary education and employment status just after leaving school-age programs. Some…

Tim Clydesdale is professor of sociology at the College of New Jersey. This article is adapted from the author's forthcoming book "Calling on Purpose: The Conversation Every Campus Must Have with Students" (University of Chicago Press, 2015). Clydesdale met two students, James and Tracy, during their senior year of college, when his…

This study explored the perspectives of community organization representatives and community residents about a partnership between a College of Engineering and a rural municipality in Nicaragua. The intended community outcomes described by university participants during interviews corresponded with tangible project outcomes, such as access to…

The leadership institute, targeting new and aspiring county Extension directors, was completely revised to reflect face-to-face and online constructivist learning theory and practice. New co-learning and engagement methods were incorporated, and all facilitators and teachers/presenters were trained and coached to use the new methods and…

Chicago has long been one of the national epicenters for public school reform. In many ways the reform efforts of the past decade in the Windy City have served as the blueprint for the current focus of federal education priorities. In particular, federal policy for school turnaround and transformation takes clear cues from the efforts that current…

Youth are in the cross-fire of gun violence, and the highest rate in the nation is in Flint, Michigan. This article highlights six innovative strategies that prepare youth to solve problems at home and in their communities in peaceful ways. The Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center (MI-YVPC) works with community groups to strengthen…

Research on service-learning offers compelling evidence of the advances student learners make in moral development, orientation to prosocial behavior, and curricular content retention. But who are those student learners? Most studies focus on native, dominant-culture, dominant-language students serving marginalized populations. Studies of the…

Pathways healthy and physically functional centenarians take to achieve advanced old age have fascinated mankind for centuries. This hermeneutic phenomenological study documents characteristics perceived by centenarians as important and central to their attainment of advanced longevity. Secondary data including written transcripts and audio and…

Community assessment is the concept of using wider professional communities to provide authentic assessment to students. It means using the knowledge available in one's immediate surroundings and through Web 2.0 tools to enrich instructional processes. It means using retirees, experts, and volunteers from professional organizations and…

This paper argues that working-class widening participation in education is not necessarily new. While it can be argued that it was established in the late twentieth century as a concept and government strategy, aspects of its origins can be traced back to movements such as the mechanics' institute movement, first established by the 1850s. Such…