This thesis overview summarizes a study (Brandt, 2021) examining the institutional and professional practices that enable community engagement professionals (CEPs) to play vital roles in fulfilling higher education's civic mission. Drawing on field-building research by community-engaged practitioners and scholars, such as Welch and Saltmarsh…

By utilizing a qualitative approach of educational criticism and connoisseurship, the purpose of this study was to explore the intentions and motivations, processes and strategies, and implications and outcomes of educational activists that work to expose and/or debunk a public instruction conspiracy theory. Data were collected through the…

This study aimed to advance the use of restorative justice and restorative approaches in graduate academic environments and contributed to the research on implementing the whole-school approach in higher education. The focus of this study was on applying restorative approaches to build community and strengthen relationships among community members…

Community engagement programs are shaped by the educators who facilitate them. Due to a curtailed critical consciousness, such programs are not always sensitive to the negative implications for the communities they are attempting to support. Guided by critical ethnographic and interpretive phenomenological analysis, this study examines how…

Steeped in a rich history of formal connections between institutions of higher education and the citizens and communities in which they are embedded, the importance of engaging education in the community has long been recognized for its myriad of benefits to all involved including increased funding for university research, more informed practice…

At its core, the school to workforce pipeline is a pathway from parental care to employment. Between these stages is education, much of which school districts, higher education institutions, and organizations with technical training provide. However, rural districts face multiple location-specific challenges when supporting students along this…

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…

This study employed an explanatory sequential design and mixed methods to investigate school principals' perspectives on parent-teacher associations (PTAs). The research involved a large sample of 3,606 school principals or senior managers who participated in a survey and a smaller subsample of 6 principals who engaged in a focus group interview…

In this collaboratively written article, we share what we have learned in our over decade-long partnership working across social and institutional boundaries, including: the right for students to be taught through a strength-based perspective; the necessity of communication between schools and communities; and insights into how educators can…

This essay reports on engaging academic and community partners whose positionalities spanned diverse lived experiences and power structures. Using groundwork from several literatures, we reflect on developing, nurturing, repairing, and expanding a container as a critically reflective space for experimenting with new ways of being and doing. A…

One of a University's four functions is to extend sustainable training programs that will help address any social issue in the community. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a University extension program. It focuses on the participants' skills acquired from the program and how they influence their job performance and quality of life. This…

These brief remarks delve into the essence of community as purposeful connection. Through collaborative design interventions, it explores what it means to build relationships within communities in pursuit of environmental justice. The author shares his experiences from two research projects, which offer insights for community-based researchers…

Purpose: Regular participation in bicycling offers many health benefits. Universities throughout the U.S. have a large proportion of underrepresented populations among students/employees (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, disabled) who participate in cycling at lower rates. The purpose of this study was to understand the current practices of…

This essay documents approaches to growing honors affiliate faculties through community and university partnerships. The need for new strategies to prepare non-traditional faculties is shown by evidence that the student population is changing and by the critical responsibility honors programs have in the mentorship of diverse students.…

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), a highly prevalent and impairing psychological condition in adolescents, is characterized by persistent fear of social and performance situations. Existing evidence suggests that racism and discrimination may heighten risk for SAD and present barriers to treatment in Black youth. Yet, intervention research on SAD in…