Field action projects are a distinguishing feature in social work education and practice and can serve as a live lab for social work students. Many renowned social work educational institutions began with the field action projects and developed them to a significant level. The state of Madhya Pradesh, India has several problems, and field action…

Drawing on research that informs effective literacy practices, this book pushes back on singular ideologies, programs, and divisive rhetoric and, instead, embraces an inclusive perspective for supporting literacy development and learning. Readers are encouraged to move beyond debates that divide us and look toward the hard but necessary work of…

There is a pressing need for focused leadership development aimed at rural community colleges, which have challenges distinct to their geographic contexts. Designed to address these needs, the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research developed the three-year, cohort-based Rural College Leaders Program (RCLP). This…

Many community college students are constrained by limited financial resources and are unable to meet basic food, housing, and transportation needs. As of 2020, approximately 23 percent of college students faced food insecurity, and 8 percent were homeless. To support student well-being and increase the likelihood that students succeed, community…

Background: Condensed courses, as opposed to semester-long courses, are an increasingly popular strategy to improve equity in higher education. With condensed courses, students focus on a smaller number of courses during seven- to ten-week terms (Gullatt, 2006; Zepeda & Mayers, 2006). Historically marginalized students may benefit because the…

For some time now, the arts education community has designed for broader outcomes for youth. These programs intentionally foster not only youth achievements within the arts or academics, but also youth and community thriving--through outcomes such as youth civic engagement, occupational identities, and wellness. In this report, the authors seek to…

The first step to addressing equity gaps is to identify them. How can community colleges determine, with some degree of certainty, whether one or more student groups on a campus is in need of assistance in order to succeed? This paper tackles this question by delving into the three methods typically used to identify equity gaps, comparing and…

Collaboration is an essential practice linked to improved postschool outcomes of youth with disabilities and many school systems depend on special educators to broker this collaboration and engage meaningful partners throughout the transition planning process. Community asset mapping is a strategy for locating and leveraging resources and is…

Many community college students across the country face financial constraints and unmet basic needs for food and housing. Basic needs insecurity is associated with negative academic outcomes, and many colleges now view such basic needs supports as food pantries and emergency aid as a core strategy for supporting student success. The goal of this…

"Navigating Learning, Culture, and Identity in Island Education" invites readers into the lived educational experiences of island communities, where geography, tradition, and the rhythms of the natural world converge to characterize distinctive pedagogical practices. In these contexts, educational processes are characterized by situated…

Author Mario I. Acosta emphasizes the critical importance of school culture in enhancing student learning and optimizing teacher efficacy. In this guide, he defines and examines the foundations of an effective school culture and how it influences the school's vision, values, climate, and community and family involvement. With research-backed…

The Family Stabilization Initiative (FSI) Sustainability Toolkit was developed by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago in partnership with Lutheran Services in America. Chapin Hall designed and implemented a multifaceted approach to gain comprehensive understanding of the FSI and its core sustainability components. The Sustainability Toolkit…

This guidebook is designed to help generate successful professional learning communities (PLCs) by providing a set of steps one may wish to consider when developing, recruiting for, and facilitating PLCs. Some aspects may not be relevant to a PLC (each PLC is unique), but this guidebook provides the structure to get started. In following the steps…

The current study examined whether college students' sense of belonging changed following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 252 (66.7% female) first- and second-year college students at a large public university in the United States. It was hypothesized that students would report a decrease in their sense of belonging from…

It is becoming ever more challenging to address the changing landscape faced by California Community Colleges. Change agents strive to implement needed interventions but are often disappointed in the outcomes. However, the literature shows that the odds of successful change increase when interventions align with the organization's culture. The…