At Marylin Avenue School in Livermore, California, student achievement more than doubled from 2006 to 2013, even as the number of socioeconomically disadvantaged students increased from 66% to 88% and English language learner populations from 57% to 64%. Key to this continued growth in student achievement was the evolution of strategies that…

In this chapter, the authors will expand upon the definition of learning communities, discussing the ways in which this concept has changed and adapted through the incorporation/infusion of web-based technologies. In addition, strategies on how to create and use online learning communities both with students and for professional practice will be…

Although assessment has been an integral part of the development and expansion of learning communities, much of the assessment was focused on investigating student satisfaction, retention, and graduation. This chapter provides a case study illustrating one learning community's efforts to create assessments focused on student learning.

This chapter explores the practices of learning communities designed for specific, underserved student populations, highlighting on-campus examples and culminating with a synthesized list of core practices from these "inclusive" learning communities.

"The Routledge Handbook on Postsecondary Student Success" offers a comprehensive and authoritative examination of student success in postsecondary education. This handbook addresses critical issues in student success, such as student engagement, mental health, and degree completion to provide valuable insights on promoting student…

Introduction: This paper considers practice theory and the analytical implications of using this theoretical approach in information literacy research. More precisely the aim of the paper is to discuss the translation of practice theoretical assumptions into strategies that frame the analytical focus and interest when researching workplace…

This study explores the process of teachers' knowledge construction within a community designed based on the concept of inquiry as stance. Through close examination of three teachers' activities, the study investigates how teachers adapt and respond to such a community, whether their inquiry actually generates knowledge, and how it relates to…

Knowledge capitalization is one of many problems facing online communities of practice (CoPs). Knowledge accumulated through the participation in the community must be capitalized for future reuse. Most of proposals are specific and focus on knowledge modeling disregarding the reuse of that knowledge. In this paper, we are particularly interested…

This study sought to probe the effect of two non-conventional instructions namely Flipped Classroom Model (FCM) vs. Unplugged Classroom Model (UCM) on Iranian EFL learners' oral proficiency. Therefore, 90 upper-intermediates were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (30 each). The FCM and UCM participants were…

Previous research demonstrates that social and interpersonal factors, more than academic preparation, affect decisions by under-represented students to stay in or to leave STEM fields. Yet, much of the theorizing about STEM learning in higher education begins with conceptual and epistemological dimensions. We make the case for a new theoretical…

Drawing on culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) and the development of cultural competence, this study explores how teacher learners in a critical inquiry group narrated and discussed their urban field experiences, particularly in regard to equity-oriented literacy education. More specifically, this study demonstrates both the impact that…

One of the major challenges in educational reform is supporting teachers and the profession in the continual improvement of instruction. Research-practice partnerships and particularly networked improvement communities are well-suited for such knowledge-building work. This article examines how a networked improvement community with eight…

This qualitative case study investigated the implementation and experiences of access and equity work in a suburban, public K-12 school district in the Midwest United States. While the literature regarding educational leadership, student educational gaps, and school change is prolific, inequities in policy and practice perpetuate predictable…

This article analyzes the academic identity constructions of applied linguists in the context of interdisciplinary collaborations as they seek to integrate language and content at the curricular core of an increasingly multilingual and multicultural university in Western Canada. The study draws on transcripts of audiotaped monthly meetings, framed…

Financial aid is often linked to evidence of learning inside the classroom (students' GPA) and financial need. This mixed-methods study describes an assessment of a scholarship designed to encourage learning outside the classroom that required incoming students to live in a living-learning community (LLC). Results showed that though receipt of the…