The chapters in this issue are a clarion call for the science of learning and development to create productive, sustainable, and care-centered partnerships across academic fields that extend into partnerships with local communities. While applauding the wisdom of this communitarian aspiration, this commentary cautions that forming productive…

The Community Schools movement is growing across the country and is a non-partisan solution that promotes local decision making to accelerate student success. The Community Schools strategy has evolved as a vehicle for whole-child, whole-family, whole-community prosperity, through intentional school-family-community partnerships. This strategy,…

The article presents the replicable model of Curriculum and Community Based Academic Learning with Research, Action and Service (CCBALwRAS) through a framework of '2 Cs', the 'curriculum' and the 'community'. It puts forth a support strategy for participatory community-based interventions by formally inducting higher education institutions (HEIs)…

Theoretically framed by public pedagogy, the study explores teachers' use of public sites for undocumented migrant children. The findings demonstrate that teachers utilized various non-school, informal, and public spaces including libraries/museums, open marketplaces, and public parks/squares as powerful platforms to foster children's learning,…

Research shows that while many students express interest in STEM, far fewer go on to complete degrees in these fields, with significant disparities across race and gender. Our latest report spotlights the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program, which is designed to address these disparities. Utilizing interviews with national…

This quantitative based applied research study examined data collected fromstudents who have withdrawnfromor completed aneducator preparation program (EPP) ina small rural public community college in WestVirginia. This study compared studentretention rates with Frontier andRemote (FAR) designation by home zip code. These data informedthe research…

Retention rates in higher education continue to be a prevalent issue especially for community colleges and will become a bigger issue in the current climate of enrollment loss. Much literature regarding student retention focuses on broad, overarching findings, but it is important to understand institution-specific retention factors. The purpose of…

Conducting graduate studies in an online program can be isolating for students. This qualitative case study explores the way one online doctoral cohort utilized a text-based communication channel to keep in touch and encourage each other throughout the dissertation writing and defense phase of their program. Using Social Presence Theory and Social…

The evolving demands of the agricultural workforce require skills beyond traditional technical expertise, including communication, teamwork, adaptability, and self-management. These employability skills are critical for fostering innovation and addressing the complexities of modern agriculture. In support of helping community college faculty to…

This study explores the perspectives of 27 Black community leaders from Black communities in the United States about town-gown relationships in their communities. Utilizing the responses of the participants, a basic thematic analysis was conducted, and participants' findings discussed. Emergent themes included issues of mistrust, division, desire…

American community colleges are typically public 2-year higher education institutions with a history and mission of providing educational access to the people in the communities in which they are located and serve. Nationally community colleges continue to become more diverse, providing increased access especially for the socioeconomically…

Young people who are either at risk of disengaging or disengaged from mainstream education in Ireland are often supported by what is termed 'out-of-school' or the 'alternative education' sector. A recent review of out-of-school education provision (Department of Education. 2022. "Review of Out-of-School Educational Provision." Dublin:…

Objective: This study is a replication of Russ et al.'s (2002) work, which showed that students' credibility beliefs about and perceived learning from a male university instructor were negatively affected when he identified as gay. Because the primary professional responsibility of community college faculty is teaching, and student evaluations may…

After a sharp decline associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023 marked two consecutive years of increase in the number of freshman and high-school dual enrollees, with under-18-year-olds driving a disproportionate share of this growth. The rising importance of this latter student group presents new opportunities for colleges as well as…

Increasing student retention is one of the greatest challenges faced by community colleges. First-year community college students face a complex set of issues in grappling with their new academic roles and identities. Therefore, there is a need for effective retention efforts that support students during this time of transition. First-Year…