Lessons from the work of the eleven Urban Educator Corps member institutions are outlined. They include the necessity to create strong partnerships, foster university leadership and address a compelling local need. Successful initiatives build strong financial networks as well as connect the classroom with the community and with parents and…

KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) offers training for teachers designed to turn them into school principals with an entrepreneur's skill set. Teacher Jason Singer underwent KIPP training and now recruits 5th-grade students for the charter middle school he opened. KIPP, which was founded in 1994 by Teach For America alums Michael Feinberg and David…

This article describes the research capacity building efforts of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto over the past 12 years. It identifies the role of strategic planning, the process of change, and the key practices, in terms of personnel, resources, research center development, and strategic community…

This article offers strategies teachers can use throughout the year to help families of children with and without disabilities, and by extension the broader community, understand and appreciate inclusive education and their roles in ensuring its success. (Contains 3 tables.)

In this article, the authors address a high school's need for an updated technology policy that would allow educators to move from confiscating technology to teaching students how and when to use it. By replacing their technology policy with a courtesy policy, the authors describe how they made a huge step toward teaching students to do the right…

This paper examines the working philosophy of a university-community collaborative program--the Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC), a multifaceted community service center located in the Northeast Neighborhood of South Bend, Indiana, in the United States. This program's multitude of educational and social services includes individualized…

Purpose: This study sought to deepen current understandings of collaboration and leadership in the context of partnerships between diverse universities, schools, and communities. Using a critical epistemological perspective, the project specifically attempted to learn more about the processes employed by one particular partnership in the Western…

Letras y Arte: Literacy and Art, is a summer course that pairs college students and children from a Latino neighborhood for literacy and art learning. Started five years ago, Letras y Arte provides opportunities in four areas: (1) literacy opportunities that foster distinctive identities and voice; (2) immersion in a broad view of literacy that…

This paper is based on the work of an expert team invited by the Ministry of Education of Finland to develop criteria and an evaluation framework for societal and economic engagement for use in university performance management. The paper maps out possible indicators for the societal and economic engagement of universities in the light of national…

Licensed social work practice requires a willingness on the part of the practitioner to adhere to a professional values, knowledge, and skills base as reflected in the National Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics. Students who understand and aspire to this, and who gain experience interacting with people in a service capacity, will be…

If some schools can overcome the powerful and pervasive effects of poverty to become high performing, shouldn't any school be able to do the same? Shouldn't we be compelled to learn from those schools? Although schools alone will never systemically eliminate poverty, high-poverty, high-performing (HP/HP) schools take control of what they can to…

Diverse schools offer enriched academic and social environments, as students and families of different backgrounds and experiences provide a vibrant mosaic of insights, perspectives, and skills. To take advantage of the unique opportunities that diversity brings, schools must value and effectively connect with students and families of all…

Student access to arts education and the quality of such instruction in the nation's public schools continue to be of concern to policymakers, educators, and families. Specifically, research has focused on questions such as: To what extent do students receive instruction in the arts? Under what conditions is this instruction provided? What is the…

Vulnerable children in Michigan face intersecting disparities, with race, class and geographic location often combining to limit access to health, education and economic security. Addressing this reality requires reliable and comprehensive data that can guide thoughtful action within communities and among institutions alike. To this end, the W. K.…

Purpose: This paper aims to: extend the concept of "The learning organization" to "The learning community," especially disadvantaged communities; demonstrate how leaders in a migrant community can achieve positive change at the personal, professional, team and community learning levels through participatory action learning and…