The idea that social relations can aggregate into social capital has intuitive appeal that scholars are finding useful as they seek to explain variations in community outcomes. This article suggests that it may be time for metropolitan university administrators to begin thinking beyond community relations or community engagement as they seek to…

When a beloved school closes, community emotions run high. De Witt and Moccia, administrators in the Averill Park School District in upstate New York, describe how their district navigated through parents' anger and practical matters in closing a small neighborhood elementary school and transferring all its students to another school. With a group…

The South East Coastal Communities programme that ran from 2008 to 2011 was funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England with the aim of measuring the potential impact of knowledge exchange on the well-being of communities along the south coast of England. The University of Chichester was one of nine universities from the region…

Issues surrounding what works best in balancing autonomous exploration of dance making with provision of learning about choreographic process for university dance students are explored in this paper. Two personal narrative perspectives are provided. A lecturer reflects on what works best in structuring learning that encourages students to explore…

This article describes a 15-month university-community collaboration that was designed to fast-track children out of foster care. The developers of the project initiated resource-oriented "systems facilitations," allowing wraparound professionals and families to come together in large meetings to solve problems and find solutions. Families also…

This article examines an important policy initiative that creates self-sustaining partnerships among community stakeholders, including academic institutions. The Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) model of collaborative problem-solving (CPS) builds community capacity and knowledge while addressing the challenges of toxic pollution…

The focus of this work is community-based participatory research (CBPR) and its relationship to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Using published literature, the authors make the argument that HBCUs are well-suited for this approach because of their origin and history, their community ties, and the commitment of faculty and…

Community-Based Learning and Research (CBLR) provides opportunities for institutions of higher education to achieve their goals of educating students, advancing teaching and scholarship, and meeting real needs of under-resourced communities and nonprofit organizations. By providing successful examples of campus and community partnership, this…

Purpose--The purpose of this paper is to offer an example, for, school administrators and planners, of the cohesiveness of community policies and school design and planning endeavors during the 1980s in Arizona, USA. Design/methodology/approach--The paper reports the results of a qualitative, discourse analysis involving images of the exterior and…

A new genus of district and school improvement models entails partnerships with other organizations and new working relationships with families, community leaders, and youths. The Ohio Community Collaboration Model for School Improvement (OCCMSI) is one such model. It enables partners to leverage family and community resources for learning,…

According to Jacoby (1996), service-learning, officially defined in 1967, is "a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development." Service-learning combines academic study,…

The purpose of the study was to identify superintendent practices and protocols that contribute to the ability of the urban superintendent to establish and sustain a school board focus on student achievement as the highest organizational priority of a school district. The study was conducted utilizing mixed qualitative and quantitative methods. A…

This study is an examination of the giving decision-making process, as well as the factors, characteristics, and motivators of major donors to music programs in higher education. The college and the conservatory of music selected for this study are part of large, public, doctoral, research universities in metropolitan areas with at least three…

District-led, dramatic change efforts in failing schools--including turnarounds and school closures--often face strong resistance from families and communities. Resistance may be based on years of tension and distrust between districts and communities, failed past school improvement efforts, or a lack of understanding about the chasm between a…

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the first in its latest series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief explores afterschool and school improvement. In communities across the…