Student success is at the center of successful regional engagement. Thus, the relationship between institutional outreach through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) "stewards of place" paradigm and meaningful student participation in the effort is fundamental to the success of regional engagement. The…

Cultivating positive learning environments for underrepresented groups such as students of Chinese American and Latino backgrounds require careful planning and consideration. As our society strives to embrace individual differences of all cultures, educators must equip themselves with effective tools to adapt to the ever-changing dynamics within…

In an era of globalization, public-private partnerships often tip too easily toward privatization, where global processes of consumption, production, and migration complicate the conditions and consequences of engagement in public life. Like the logic of service, the logic of activist capitalism underlying social entrepreneurship and microlending…

A large midwestern university has developed a program that places graduate students in middle school classrooms to enhance the graduate students' communication skills with diverse audiences, develop pedagogical knowledge, and provide a foundation for effective future K-12 engagement. After observing and co-teaching, participants develop and…

In this reflective essay I examine the activity of a bus tour, organized as the result of an ongoing university and city partnership. I illustrate how riding the bus is not only symbolic for positionality in our society, but also how it can be a viable mechanism for initiating boundary spanning and promoting opportunities for place-based learning…

Universities play an increasingly prominent role in shaping regional, social, and economic development. In Canada, however, spatial, economic, and social differences between universities and their host communities continue to challenge positive town--gown relationships and undermine the benefits associated with high concentrations of prospective…

This research examined the leadership practices of rural primary school principals in the Otago province of New Zealand. Principals of large rural schools (with a role of 150 and above) and small rural schools (with a role of 60 or below) served as participants in an investigation to learn what about their practice creates and maintains effective…

In response to a challenging state economy, the Texas Legislature implemented the Regular Program Adjustment Factor (RPAF) in 2011, effectively reducing state funding to all Texas school districts. This mixed methods study reveals the effect of the RPAF on a sample of the smallest Texas school districts and their response to decreased state…

This article examines how tenure and tenure-track Black faculty at a predominantly White institution (UT-Austin) make meaning of their community engagement living and working in the city of Austin, a bellwether creative class city given its demographics and history. Findings indicate that faculty experiences living in other locales greatly…

This executive position paper proposes recommendations for improving F. W. Holbein Middle School using the New Jersey Department of Education's research-based turnaround principles as a framework for school improvement. With input from staff, the author identified the turnaround principles found to be most relevant in improving the school. In…

Marguerite Shaffer, director of American Studies at Miami University, is one of a surprisingly large number of faculty members who are at odds with an academic culture that isn't hospitable to their efforts to combine a public life with a scholarly career. She is concerned about what is happening in her field and about the world her two children…

In 2002, "Stepping Forward as Stewards of Place" identified "public engagement" as having the essential qualities of being "place-related," "interactive," "mutually beneficial" and "integrated." The publicly engaged institution was defined as being "fully committed to direct, two-way…

The Summer Language Academy (SLA) is an innovative and intensive summer program for high-school aged newcomers/new Americans, English learners, and emergent bilinguals, as well as for teachers working with them. In the SLA, students and educators collaboratively explore questions of identity, language, and culture through high-interest texts,…

"Green Dot Public Schools" is a nonprofit organization that operates more than 20 public charter middle and high schools in California, Tennessee, and Washington. The "Green Dot Public Schools" model emphasizes high quality teaching, strong school leadership, a curriculum that prepares students for college, and partnerships…

This case illustrates why future school leaders must be prepared to handle complex legal and political issues that commonly arise in school districts today. We discuss a long-standing and unresolved legal battle between a Hasidic Jewish community and the public school district in East Ramapo, New York. In particular, we examine the difficulties…