Pennsylvania Intermediate Unit 8 (IU8) seeks to scale innovations that are evolving as local solutions to educational challenges in rural school districts. Consistent with its mission of creating customized solutions, IU8 seeks to make the innovations better, meaning more learner centered and community focused. IU8 is evolving the Getting Better…

School improvement initiatives can be like New Year's resolutions. They begin with a cherished vision of possibility and a spirit of commitment, and at first they make genuine progress. But over the long run, they fizzle out. In this article, David N. Perkins and James Reese explore four factors that help determine whether a change effort…

Research has suggested that teaching that incorporates students' funds of knowledge can offer an authentic connection to students' lives outside the classroom (Moje et al., 2004) and should aim to enhance active participation of the learners using methods that reduce the unfamiliarity with science felt by some students. In the following…

This article reviews effective strategies and resources designed to help engage refugee families and children in the U.S. education system. It is written in response to requests for more information from participants who attended several invited National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) presentations over the last few years. The ideas to…

This article discusses the unique situation of teaching an upper-level, undergraduate Spanish conversation course with a service-learning component at a large, public, urban university. With the help of service-learning literature and anonymous pre- and post-surveys, this study aims to offer some qualitative observations and advice on…

Drawing on a community-university (CU) partnership between a non-profit organization that serves teen families, a housing organization and a university, this paper discusses the opportunities and challenges that can arise when engaging vulnerable youth in research. Through this paper, we share reflections on promising practices and ethical…

Internationalisation is a cross-cutting theme in the strategic plans of many universities, and an increased international profile is a core goal for many cities. At the same time, even the leaders of some of Europe's most avowedly outward-facing, 'global' universities have begun to prioritise relations with their city counterparts in recent years.…

To address the tension between public education norms and the lived experiences of racially marginalized students, this study examines how Brother to Sister (BTS), a community group, promotes sense of belonging and college access among Black high school students using the school as a primary dialogical space. Specifically, through qualitative…

This case study examined how community-university partnerships have helped develop welcoming learning environments for new immigrants, particularly the increasing number of South Korean students and families in eastern Alabama. The creation of South Korean-owned automobile manufacturing plants in the southeastern United States has brought numerous…

This retrospective on service learning in the development of University Studies Capstones, the senior-level requirement in the University Studies general education program at Portland State University, explores how the original framers of University Studies anticipated the pitfalls of "pedagogies of whiteness" in deploying service…

The purpose of this study was to determine the organizational structures and resource allocations superintendents in rural Missouri school districts employ to promote college and career readiness. The study sought to identify organizational structures and resource allocations being employed by superintendents in rural Missouri school districts and…

Sub-Saharan African countries have realized that the biggest challenge facing their education system was not enrollment deficit as they were led to believe for many decades. Rather, it was the lack of appropriate technology that left them behind and widened the education gap between Western and African countries. In Senegal, much progress has been…

This paper describes innovative ways of bringing mathematical learning into community venues in rural settings. We selected highly engaging mathematical activities, adapted them for middle school youth and their families, and brought them to the "locavore" contexts of Farmers Markets and community agricultural fairs. "STEM…

Reflections from a pre-service teacher on the initial experiences of working with students whose home environment affected their ability to fully participate in the classroom. The focus of this reflection is understanding ways to figure out who was the most appropriate person to impact a student's life.

Community development research suggests that positive partnerships and connections between groups can result in stronger, more resilient and productive communities. Despite community connections featuring increasingly at a curriculum level in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, research is only beginning to explore the nuanced processes…