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Interior design students should be able to use research and evidence-based design outcomes to make decisions that promote health, safety and wellbeing. This approach will contribute to resolving social, environmental and community issues through design-oriented thinking Accordingly, the aim of this research in a senior design studio course is to promote a better connection to the local environment needs without losing the creativity aspect. This study covered two semesters and used multiple data collection methods, including interviews, observational field notes, discussions and personal reflections. The findings showed that jury critiques and case study analysis were the most beneficial sources of information for students to develop their project ideas and solutions. The paper illustrates processes, products and aspects that are used in senior projects to find solutions to environmental needs. In addition, the study offers lessons learned and reflections to raise students' awareness of the cultural needs in relation to the interior design field. This study shows findings similar to earlier research that found that students who identified and analysed a local case study understood the design problem better and were creative in linking their project design solution to the society's needs. The study also reveals that students who relied on analysis of well-defined local case studies developed focused and detailed concepts and design solutions according to the instructor's and jurors' assessments. The study also contributes to literature by using a multi-method approach and offers implications for local and international policy-makers on interior design curricula.

Background: School-based health centers (SBHCs) provide opportunities for offering quality service to underserved populations. The objectives of this study were to: (1) document the SBHC process at different locations and evaluate their similarities and differences; (2) explore SBHC clinic staff satisfaction; and (3) identify facilitators and barriers to utilizing SBHCs. Methods: Three Georgia SBHCs located in either predominantly Caucasian, African American, or Hispanic elementary schools were included in this study. Mixed methods data collection efforts included: (1) observational assessment of each SBHC; (2) interviews with 7 clinic administrators and staff; and (3) focus group discussions (N = 5) with parents of children that do and do not utilize SBHCs. Results: Observational assessments indicated some clinics have more resources available than others. In-depth interviews found that centers are functioning at capacity, with potential for expansion and greater workload. Focus groups revealed that parents are satisfied with services provided, the price of the care, and the convenience of the centers. However, barriers have made utilization difficult for lower income families. Conclusions: Although most SBHC goals are being met, staff realize that further development and funding must be obtained to meet the needs of their communities.

Myanmar has been transitioning to a parliamentary democracy following a long period of authoritarian military rule, with higher education positioned as a catalyst of and for change. This paper explores the policy reform texts through discourse analysis and the process of their enactment by senior university leaders. Two discourses emerge, one of neoliberalism and the role of globalisation, competition and marketisation. Another adopts traditional Myanmar values and argues for an inclusive, developmental agenda based on local needs using culturally sensitive approaches. The article explores the complimentary and contradictory nature of these approaches and the consequences for reform efforts.

The NIEHS-sponsored "Appalachian Health & Well-Being Community Forum" held in Eastern Kentucky brought various community members together to communicate and establish better coordination of efforts to improve health and address regional environmental issues. The 2-hour forum discussion provided bi-directional feedback about the needs and interests of community members. Top concerns of community members included obesity and obesity-related diseases and environmental pollution. Healthful lifestyles were identified as part of the remedy to protect health from potential adverse health effects associated with environmental pollution. This study highlights opportunities to engage with Appalachian communities around topics related to health and environmental pollution.

Addressing complex global issues -- such as alterations in nutrient cycles, climate change, large-scale drought, widespread erosion, and new disease vectors -- require adaptive changes in our collective behavior and policies. To date, approaches to advancing science literacy to address such challenges have generally failed to produce sufficient changes in behavior at the necessary scale. We suggest that past interventions have come up short due to a primary focus on individual change, rather than change that results that accrue in the small groups that are a basis for affiliation, social and cultural capital, and the domain where impacts tend to be replicated by others. Importantly, these are the same communities where scientific literacies are negotiated and grown. The authors illustrate the unique authority and social position that museums hold to activate such small groups toward solutions at a civic scale capable of matching scale of action to need.

Education policies are enacted differently according to school contexts and geographies. This is particularly the case in large countries such as Australia where context and geographies for schooling differ greatly. Within regional, rural and remote Australia, schools are witnessing a trend in geographic disadvantage in that as distance from urban centres increase, nationally benchmarked scores tend to decrease. Overcoming this geographic disadvantage has become a national goal for policy makers; however, policies fail to fully consider regional, rural and remote context. This study aims to review literature regarding the contextual factors that affect policy enactment in regional, rural and remote Australian schools. 49 journal articles, national reviews, books and policy documents were identified, read and reviewed. The literature confirms that context is an important consideration in policy enactment. Findings reveal that educational policy enactment is impacted by four major contextual factors: (1) situational context, (2) professional context, (3) material context and (4) external context. These factors have been used as a thematic organiser in this review to understand policy enactment in RRR schools specifically. This literature review concludes that context needs to be at the forefront of policy enactment in RRR areas. Policies need to be enacted within place, using community participation to be effective. This research is a fruitful endeavour as there is a need to contextualise not only policies, but also pedagogy and practice.

Action research is an important methodology that promotes participatory processes in the community, enhancing community networks and empowering people to define their own health and generate actions. Here, we performed a systematic review using the Scopus, Web of Science (WoS) and SciELO databases to identify the studies carried out on health in Latin America under the category 'Action Research'. The search terms used were 'Action Research', 'Health' and 'Latin America'. We identified the following three areas of particular relevance: (a) action research is a necessary strategy to make health actions more efficient by adapting institutional actions to specific realities; (b) action research can increase the visibility of excluded groups and demonstrates the importance of being heard; and (c) action research can promote community empowerment by considering community members as knowledge agents who can transform their own reality. We report that action research processes which highlight the emancipatory and democratizing potential of community participation are subject to controversy regarding the production of and access to knowledge and the issues related to health. However, action research is not usually used in the development and implementation of institutional health interventions.

Anthropogenic climate change caused by the release of excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere is the biggest challenge of the 21st century. Man-made climate change threatens the biosphere on which all forms of life depend. Climate change requires human effort to manage the impact of extreme events such as droughts, flooding, and heatwaves. As such, human decision-making processes are crucial for the successful management of climate change impacts. The decision-making process include awareness and perception of climate change risks. Awareness and perceptions of (natural) hazard risk are determinants of human response (adaptation) to environmental shocks (climate change and variability). To this end, this study explores the effects of an environmental education course on the awareness and perception of climate change risks among seventh and eighth grade learners in South Africa. This exploratory study collected primary data through the implementation of emergent participation tools in focus group discussions with learners (n = 23). These emergent participation tools are the Problem tree and the Hazard, Impact and Vulnerability matrix. Responses from a comparison group were juxtaposed with those of environmental education beneficiaries through a qualitative content analysis technique. Findings reveal that environmental awareness has an effect on perceptions of current and future climate change risks. Learners are concerned about short-term risks more than long-term risks. Short-term risks such as meeting basic needs and dealing with criminality are priorities over long-term risks such as climate change. A daily struggle to meet these basic needs represent the local context and discourse within which learners view and experience their world. Learners do perceive the causal linkages between different climatic and non-climatic risks. Drawing such causal linkages raises awareness and perception and this cause-effect relationship is necessary for behavioural change. Environmental education is necessary to raise the awareness and perceptions of learners to environmental risks such as climate change. More studies are required to explore the topic of environmental education on raising awareness and perceptions of environmental risks such as climate change with head of households.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa has been devastating. Over 200,000 Kenyan children under the age of 14 are infected with HIV and an estimated 1.1 million Kenyan children are orphaned due to AIDS. Nyumbani Children's Home works in communities made vulnerable by this disease and the accompanying poverty to reduce transmission rates and improve quality of life for thousands of affected children and communities. It follows a whole-child and community-based method to provide services. Four programs deliver comprehensive medical and home-based HIV/AIDS services in crucial areas of need: diagnostic services and critical medical care, holistic family and community building, education and preventive care, environmental sustainability, and self-reliance.

Service-learning has been gaining traction in Singapore, with many educational institutions integrating it into their curriculum. In the National Institute of Education (NIE), the Group Endeavours in Service-Learning (GESL) is an experiential learning opportunity for all student teachers (STs) to collaborate with the community to address local needs. GESL endeavours to build character, and develop positive values and social-emotional competencies. Hence the purpose of this study is to explore how GESL enhances pre-service teacher education in relation to teacher training. Eleven GESL groups were selected, with 12 members from each group randomly recruited to participate in the focus group interviews. A total of 15 focus group interviews were held. The interview data was transcribed, coded and presented in themes by using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Overall, there seemed to be a greater level of self-awareness and understanding of the community needs. Participants reported getting to know themselves better, in terms of their strengths and weaknesses and how they can contribute to the community. There was also enhancement of collaboration, communication and people-management skills. These findings suggest that GESL may be an effective channel to imbue attributes that NIE has identified as important for teaching professionals.

There has been increasing debate about the role early childhood education and care (ECEC) plays within local and wider communities. This article reports on a small-scale case study that explored the views of teachers, management and parents from a privately owned ECEC centre in New Zealand about the notion of community. Rogoff's planes of sociocultural activity have been used as the theoretical framework for generating and analysing data. Findings highlight that while the business model of this centre shaped its orientation to community, the participants expressed diverse views about community, emphasising the importance of connections between people and place both within and beyond the centre. We argue that viewing the ECEC setting as an extended family rather than a community may afford greater recognition of broader emotional and social benefits of participating in ECEC for children, their families and society as a whole.

Embedded within ongoing university-community partnerships, participatory action research experiences for undergraduates -- or PAR-based UREs -- are multi-disciplinary, action-oriented research opportunities that engage undergraduates in collaborative research to address community-defined challenges. PAR-based UREs integrate participatory action research (PAR), a practice of social scientists, with undergraduate research experiences (UREs), a widespread and well-funded tradition in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. PAR-based UREs offer a promising avenue towards fostering constructive university-community relations, while positioning undergraduate students to be competent researchers and critical change agents in collaboration with communities. This theoretical discussion introduces the concept and practice of PAR-based UREs by: (1) reviewing 'traditional' PAR and URE arrangements as separate entities; (2) offering a theoretical rationale for their integration; and (3) describing the formation, organization, and outcomes of a PAR-based URE pilot program, which underscores the need for a coordinated approach towards benefiting -- and reconnecting -- students, communities, universities, and the public.

Background: To prepare students to become productive 21st century citizens, universities have to be more engaged with society. Shifting towards community service learning (CSL) enables students to participate in, and reflect on, services that both benefit the public and also contribute to their own learning. There has been considerable research conducted on the improved student competencies, both academic and personal, resulting from CSL. There is, however, no consensus on how to integrate CSL into courses successfully, owing to the diverse contextual factors that influence implementation. Purpose: By means of conducting a review, this study aimed to establish general design principles to help guide course coordinators in implementing CSL in their academic courses. Design and methods: A systematic review was conducted of articles describing the implementation of CSL in academic courses within various disciplines. Implementation elements and principles were extracted from the articles and inductively grouped together, thereby identifying various design principles. Findings: Our analysis of the literature highlighted three steps that, according to the literature, are important in the implementation of CSL: (1) aligning course objectives and format; (2) establishing a relationship with the community partner; and (3) defining a reflection and evaluation strategy. We found that the nature of the design principles and specific approaches underlying these implementation steps should depend on the students' capabilities, which include their pre-CSL experiences. Conclusion: The implementation steps and underlying design principles uncovered by this review may help guide and support course coordinators in their efforts to integrate CSL in their academic courses. The diverse range of design principles makes it possible to acknowledge students' pre-CSL experiences and, thus, construct appropriate scaffolding, which is necessary for students to attain the improved academic and personal competencies envisaged through CSL, and ultimately to become productive 21st century citizens.

Extension agents obtain professional development (PD) through a variety of means, some of which have been critiqued as lacking in creativity or involvement of experiential learning approaches. As Extension engages in reinvention and reimaging in response to competition in the information marketplace, direct and candid connections with a changing clientele are essential. In this article, I propose the value of travel as a form of nontraditional PD, present an approach to manufacturing relevant encounters, and include a case study to illustrate the application of this approach. Nontraditional PD allows professionals to creatively adapt programming to community need and character.

This article describes a model for developing culturally sensitive career education programs, framed from an ecological contextual understanding. This framework allows career practitioners to build on cultural strengths and values to meet the career education needs of diverse communities. To illustrate the application of this model, we describe the cultural context of rural Appalachia and offer theoretically framed ideas of how to meet the population's career education needs.

We provide an expanded environmental scan to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) faced by education communities. Grounded in the literature, we identified 48 indicators and grouped them into 6 broad categories: (1) budget levels, (2) funding patterns, (3) community needs, (4) external economic conditions, (5) political culture, and (6) children outcomes. We then created sub-categories for each of these six groupings based on whether the data came from school reports, non-school, governmental data, or not-for-profit entities. From these data, we developed a template with strategic guidelines for education leaders in varying environmental contexts. The discussion integrates school finance, fiscal condition analysis, leadership and organizational research to develop a framework that is then applied to the Minneapolis Public Schools for school years 2004 through 2008. The retrospective examination supports the utility of the strategic guidelines offered in the framework. Education leaders found a mixed educational climate in Minneapolis Public Schools for the years examined. There was cause for concern in the declining revenues for children services by other governmental agencies and increasing numbers of schools not making annual yearly progress. However, there were also opportunities apparent in the number of schools that offered International Baccalaureate and other rigorous programs and the support of schools as indicated by passage of local referenda.

Service-learning projects, especially the ones focused on the community, and on the Hispanic community in particular, need to be based on real felt and documented needs, and the outcomes need to be assessed in order to decide the worth and possible sustainability of the projects. This paper will focus on service-learning samples from my courses, addressed to the Hispanic Community in the Upstate of South Carolina. The projects have been implemented as part of the assessment criteria used to assign students' grades. A needs assessment survey was conducted earlier to determine the areas of work that students would address in their service-learning projects. At the conclusion of each semester students are required to provide a written page about their projects, not only from the point of view of application or enrichment of their learning, but also from their attitude and feelings about the service provided. Using students' reflection documentation, a qualitative analysis and conclusions will be provided to document the relative importance and worth of the different service-learning projects analyzed.

The paper describes an approach to the sustainable introduction of IT in developing countries based on international collaboration between students taking the form of a knowledge bridge. The authors consider the challenges for introducing information technologies in developing countries; one of these is lack of reading materials ultimately leading to lack of reading skills in pupils and poor overall performance. A theoretical framework for the sustainable introduction of IT is proposed. It comprises the following components: (1) the model of a knowledge bridge, (2) the managerial model of the interactions between key stakeholders, and (3) the model of impact of a Community Outreach Project (COP) on target schools. The proposed models have been mapped to the widely adopted DPSIR framework used in sustainable development studies. As a case study, the authors discuss the E-readers Project run in two primary schools in Northern Tanzania. The paper also demonstrates how interaction and collaboration between Tanzanian and Dutch students was organized during preparatory stage and project implementation. The paper concludes with general recommendations on how to run a sustainable IT-based COP. These recommendations have been drawn from the analysis of the COP experience in the developing country, namely Tanzania.

The participatory learning and action: PLA was the process used for empowering in this program. This process has four steps: 1) create awareness, 2) specify problems or needs, 3) act and 4) present and reflect or monitor. The purposes of this study were: 1) to investigate the conditions of communities in terms of context and problems or needs in educational management in their secondary schools 2) to develop community empowerment program and 3) to examine the results of each program in 4 empowerment levels: individual level, team level, organization level and community level. The research was carried out with two teams: a 19-member Ban-chiang community team; 19 subjects and a 17-member Thung-fon community team. These 36 participants were chosen using a purposive sampling technique that led to outcomes of 4 empowerment levels in every indicator. This program, therefore, should be supported and promoted in order to empower them and create sustainability.

Ultimately, the national goals of improving learning outcomes for all students and reducing, if not eliminating, the achievement gap require a teaching corps that brings knowledge and professional competencies to have positive impacts on diverse learners in diverse settings (Gándara & Maxwell-Jolly, 2006). As central actors in schools, teachers have the greatest impact on student achievement (Cochran-Smith & Fries, 2005). Nevertheless, due to varied challenges of preparing high-quality teachers within the context of traditional schools of education, preparation programs have yet to consistently and comprehensively produce teachers who accomplish these outcomes (Ball & Forzani, 2009; Larabee, 2004, 2010). While substantive reform and evidence of improved teacher education emerges (Ball & Forzani, 2009, 2010; Zumwalt & Craig, 2005), systemic change that contributes to better pre-kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade (PK-12) student outcomes remains elusive (Darling-Hammond, 2010). In this article the authors describe how they fundamentally changed their model of teacher preparation to prioritize clinical practice through partnerships with schools and communities and are taking a step in the right direction to improve teaching and learning. In the Teaching, Learning, and Leading with Schools and Communities (TLLSC) program at Loyola University Chicago, they envision teacher education as sharing the same mission and high expectations as those of effective PK-12 professionals at multiple levels of teaching and learning: supporting and sustaining successful students, innovative classrooms, exemplary schools, enriched communities, and global citizenship (Zhao, 2010). To fulfill this mission, in the TLLSC program, teacher preparation faculty collaboratively re-envision teacher education by developing instructional partnerships and grounding programs in urban schools and communities. This enables them to respond to the needs of schools and communities in and around Chicago and to increase the number of skilled educators who are highly committed to and capable of teaching diverse student populations (García, Arias, Harris-Murri, & Serna, 2010).

While advances have made it possible for the average Nepali to access mobile phones, computers, and digital cameras, barriers continue to impede access. Like other governments, Nepal responded in 2004 by creating about 80 telecenters to push sustainable technology to its people. Five years later, most telecenters struggle with sustainability. This ethnographic study explores tensions youth face when using a telecenter located in Sankhu, Nepal, a Newari village 20 kilometers southeast of Kathmandu. To understand the complex tensions, an ethnographic approach was adopted as the method for data collection. Given the nature of the problem, Activity Theory was used as a framework for analyzing and understanding the tensions. Tensions are categorized in order of frequency as they appeared in the data. Major tensions included gender norms, generational distrust, lack of awareness, and funding. Moderate tensions included lack of training and time. Minor tensions were location, power, and connectivity.

Community boundary spanners create ties that bind the campus and its surrounding region for reciprocal relationships. Using community boundary spanning literature as a conceptual framework, this study went beyond existing research on public and 4-year comprehensive universities to examine how university leadership at rural, private liberal arts institutions can more deeply integrate civic engagement into institutional priorities and be more responsive to community needs. A qualitative multicase study was conducted to explore how leaders of rural, private liberal arts institutions and their community partners view civic engagement relative to the college's mission. The study examined university leaders' and community stakeholders' perceptions of civic engagement at 5 liberal arts institutions in the Bonner Scholars Program network. The conceptual framework in Weerts (2005) and Weerts and Sandmann (2010) was developed into a foundation for university leaders at liberal arts institutions to embed and develop community engagement into their institutions' culture and ethos.

The concept of and approach to service-learning across higher education has changed dramatically over the last two and a half decades. Historically, one of the primary goals of service-learning was to prepare undergraduate students to become engaged citizens and to introduce them to the challenges experienced by individuals from marginalized or disenfranchised communities ("Dunlap, 1998"; "Shadduck-Hernandez, 2005"). Now, 25 years after the implementation of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, many universities are shifting this focus to include meeting community needs, accomplishing graduate and undergraduate student learning outcomes, and establishing reciprocity of respect.

The success of civilization is determined by the excellent education system and excellent education program. It is believed that the aims of producing outstanding and dedicated students are determined by the quality of education program. Students chose the education program based on many criteria, like job guarantee, reputation of the university, duration of the program etc. For the present research perception of stakeholders towards the effectiveness of diploma program, Majmaah University was selected. Questionnaire was distributed among the stakeholders of diploma program which include teachers, faculty members, members of the university's chancellery, employers, funding body etc. To find out their perception towards the effectiveness of diploma program, different statistical tools were used to complete the present research. In the findings it has been found that there is a positive perception of stakeholders towards the effectiveness of diploma program.

Is it actually certain that our students are changing during our social studies classes? This paper aims to reveal structural development and evaluation in social studies education which is related to national curriculum requirements and focused on particular students in order to test the effectiveness of the lesson. In order to increase students' concern for the theme, the teacher choose a topic related to the construction of a footbridge on Route 419 on the students' daily route to school as the lesson study unit. The lesson unit took place in a 9th grade class of a Japanese Secondary School, called Asahi Chu-gakko in Kariya, Aichi, for about 40 days from September 21 to October 29, 2010. "Yumiko" is a so-called "case student" among the 37 students that is indicate effectiveness of the lesson through observing in detail his/her performance during the lesson. The authors describe whole learning tracks of the case student Yumiko through pre- and post-Lesson Commentary and Lesson transcripts as evidence of her learning.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, changes to the political landscape have made it increasingly difficult for Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITP) to successfully deliver programmes in regions away from urban centres. Within this context, research was undertaken to identify some of the tensions associated with regional strategy development. Findings highlighted that each community and their needs are different; positive partnerships are required; there are resourcing challenges, yet ITP staff demonstrate a strong sense of social and moral responsibility to their learners and communities.

This paper presents a protocol for a funded study of technical assistance strategies used to support the use of evidence, and, in particular, how participatory processes contribute to the use of evidence to improve outcomes for populations. Findings from the study will increase understanding of the relationships between technical assistance, stakeholder participation and evidence use in child and family services. The authors argue that publishing such a protocol can increase transparency between researchers and practitioners and raise awareness of the need for research on how stakeholder participation can strengthen evidence use in child welfare service settings. The authors also reflect on the potential value and limitations of published protocols. This study will systematically gather input from stakeholders with expertise in technical assistance to develop a compilation of strategies that can be used to support the use of evidence. The study will identify strategies that include stakeholder involvement and assess which strategies under what conditions facilitated the use of research evidence. The study will address four research questions: What technical assistance strategies are used to support the use of research evidence? What are the consensus-driven terms and definitions of identified strategies? To what extent do technical assistance strategies involve stakeholders and for what purpose?

Traditional service-learning pedagogy assumes that learning occurs when contact between relatively advantaged students and a relatively disadvantaged service population reduces prejudice. However, little is known about how students whose backgrounds are similar to the populations they serve process this learning experience. This study explores the connections between socioeconomic status and learning trajectories within service-learning. Students provided written reflections on a service-learning experience focused on food insecurity as part of course requirements. Analysis reveals that students with low socioeconomic status (SES) demonstrate different learning processes than medium- and high-SES students. Namely, low-SES students were less likely than high-SES students to hold prejudiced attitudes prior to service, and low-SES students emphasized a systemic understanding of food insecurity and poverty, while medium- and high-SES students were much more likely to emphasize an individualist understanding. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research to improve service-learning pedagogy for students of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Based in participatory action research, this project had the aim of building capacity in treatment and support for individuals and families impacted by autism spectrum disorder in remote and rural communities of Canada. Communities were selected based on their rurality and willingness to engage in change efforts for enhanced service delivery within their region. Fifteen discussion groups with key stakeholders were convened in seven communities with ~200 community stakeholders. Based on analyses of these data from the stakeholders, themes were distilled through interpretive description, which in turn were presented to community stakeholders for reflection and collective action. Findings indicate broad thematic domains consisting of: insufficient services, protective factors in community, change efforts via collectivity within community, limitations and benefits of residing in rural communities relative to care associated with autism spectrum disorder, a sense of "community" in rural contexts, and engaging in focused dialogue as a pathway to advancement. Opportunities for building capacity for support in autism spectrum disorder emerged within intersecting layers of leadership, contextual factors, and community collaboration. Consistent with participatory action research principles, emerging local knowledge was supported with strategies for improved autism spectrum disorder service development.

The Community Wellness, Empowerment, Leadership and Lifeskills (CWell) program is a 2-year community-driven program developed in partnership between an underserved community in Limerick City and staff at the University of Limerick, Ireland. This article explores the transformative teaching and learning experiences that arose throughout the duration of the program for the lecturers and students. Data were collected through interviews and focus groups with lecturers and students involved in the program. Students supported the notion of "learning differently" and focused around prior learning and attitude to learning, learning about learning, and impact of learning. Lecturers supported the notion of "teaching differently," focusing on how they had revised their usual teaching practices to more overtly emphasize the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy and student-centered learning (as opposed to content-centered) and the situated learning perspective. There is a necessity for research on diverse and innovative programs to inform culturally responsive pedagogies and transformation for learning.

Nationwide, place-based initiatives aiming to improve school and community outcomes are in the midst of neighborhood demographic change. We explore this issue through a case study of the Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN). We discuss how the social and educational context of MPN poses several challenges to implementing Promise Neighborhood reforms. Drawing on enrollment and residence data from San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and the U.S. Census, we show that the MPN service population extends beyond the geographic boundaries of the neighborhood and includes two primary groups of increasingly unequal social and economic status: working-class Latinos and high-income Whites. We situate these findings within the context of SFUSD's school assignment policy and gentrification in the Mission neighborhood. We conclude that complexities in the MPN service population have significant implications for MPN service provision and the definition of a "neighborhood community." These implications apply to other place-based initiatives experiencing neighborhood demographic change.

Background: Learning by experience in field schools (FSs) depends implicitly on the willingness of local residents to engage with students. Although critical perspectives have highlighted the potential harms of study abroad on local people, their views are less frequently investigated. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explore the perspectives and motivations of local residents who agreed to be interviewed by American undergraduates undertaking a 5-week FS in community health research methods in Cape Town, South Africa. Methodology/Approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 residents to explore their perspectives on why they, and others, were willing to be interviewed by students. These were thematically analyzed. Findings/Conclusions: Emphasis was given to the status implicit in being "a student" and "a visitor" and the respect, hospitality, and support this status engendered. To be a student was to be a child and not in a position to help. However, expectations were that help would come later. Residents valued the conversations they had which were seen as opportunities for enjoyment, exchange, and bridging social divides. Implications: In experiential learning programs such as these, local residents are a key community learning resource. Certain design features appear to help optimize the engagement and relationship-building valued by students and residents alike.

Background: Global learning outcomes (GLOs) are increasingly emphasized within higher education because of the advantages they provide in navigating globalized contexts. The process of global learning may be understood through Mezirow's theory of transformational learning, in which presentation of dissonant information results in more open, inclusive frames of reference. Purpose: We propose that local community-based experiential learning may facilitate development of GLOs through a process of transformational learning. Methodology/Approach: We used consensual qualitative research-modified (CQR-M) method to describe outcomes of a service-based experiential learning opportunity called "Community Kitchen." Findings/Conclusions: Our analyses yielded seven domains within participant responses, many of which align with GLOs: impacting knowledge and skills, changing attitudes through transformational learning, contributing to personal benefit, facilitating relational connections, influencing vocational identity, engaging with the community, and providing a unique experience. Implications: Experiential learning may be a viable avenue through which global learning occurs locally through service-learning experiences.

Leadership in the post-incorporation English further education system has not been distributed in nature, but transactional, driven by the external demands of funding and inspection regimes. However, in the light of the current rhetoric of localism in further education policy there is a view that distributed leadership would be an appropriate alternative form of leadership within this context. This article reviews the education literature and argues that distributed leadership should be introduced to the sector, but that on its own this will be insufficient for addressing the government's agenda of meeting the human capital needs of businesses, needs-based equity for disadvantaged adults, or the wider benefits of education. This is because distributed leadership, whilst involving a dispersion of responsibility, may not equate to a dispersion of power. To disperse power to local areas and to facilitate an authentic distributed leadership focused on local stakeholders a policy of localism that encourages self-governance and open systems is needed. More specifically flexible accountability arrangements are required that encourage strategy and leadership at the local level. Such distributed leadership embedded within a local governance that facilitates dispersed power to key local stakeholders is similar to what is described as eco-leadership in the leadership literature.

Objective: In the first study of its kind, the impact of excluding noncredit enrollments in calculations of spending in community colleges is explored. Noncredit enrollments are not reported to Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), but expenditures for these efforts are. This study corrects for this omission and provides new estimates of spending on community college students in four states. Method: Data on noncredit enrollments were made available from four states--New York, New Jersey, California, and North Carolina. Interviews with campus and state officials within each state helped us verify the findings. In addition, Delta Cost Project data were analyzed and adjusted to account for noncredit enrollments. Results: Our analysis indicates that the expenditure per full-time equivalent (FTE) student measure, which researchers typically use, seriously overstates the resources that community colleges have to spend on educating students; however, great variations exist within and across states. Conclusion: Community colleges are underfunded to an even greater extent than standard IPEDS analyses indicate.

This article describes how superintendents approach the administrative processes of recruiting, hiring, and training new teachers to work in Alaska's rural schools. Drawing from interviews of superintendents and administrators in 32 rural Alaska school districts, the data show not only the amount of time and responsibility that rural superintendents commit to these activities, but also how they regard community as central in guiding their execution of these tasks. Our fi ndings underscore the integral role of rural superintendents in setting a place-conscious leadership tone for the districts they serve, as well as the risk of losing institutional memory and networks when these positions turn over

This study sought to evaluate the self-learning curricula of a kindergarten in Saudi Arabia by applying the context, input, process, product (CIPP) model. To this end, the study utilized a mixed-method design, where teachers (N = 420) had been randomly selected and surveyed, and school inspectors (N = 15) had been interviewed. Furthermore, a content analysis had been carried out to analyze the curricula content based on CIPP model construction. Findings revealed that the objectives of the curricula were moderately correlated to the context. The input, process, and product also moderately contributed to the educational needs and to the Saudi community. However, the curricula failed to meet the kindergarten students' needs and community in providing multiple sources of knowledge, teaching competencies, and training opportunities. The study recommended the need to develop a kindergarten curriculum on the basis of children's educational needs and the community developmental needs. It suggests that future studies be conducted in various aspects of child education for preschool, continuous and comprehensive evaluation, and development of the kindergarten curriculum.

This paper argues that the Trump phenomenon is not an anomaly but rather a predictable stage of the waning of US power. The United States has enjoyed military and economic dominance of the world since the early twentieth century when it gained control of the massive Third World colonial regions of the world. We must regard education as the human right of all people, free to develop minds of their own and to run their own affairs even as they recognize the importance of learning to live together in association with others. Childhood and growing up should shimmer with creativity and joy, not drudgery, fear, and punishment. An expansive curriculum of liberation would be based on student questions and inquiry, community needs, and an invitation to read the world as we read the word.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore a formative intervention project that was developed for the Municipal Secretariat of Education in São Paulo, Brazil for the broad development of all levels of educational management (teacher educators, coordinators, principals, teachers and students). Thus, the creative chain of activities is a key theoretical framework for promoting critical collaboration in order to cross the boundaries of educational management organization. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use data from the Management in Creative Chains Project (Liberali, 2012), as a way to enable the wide development of all levels of educational management. Data comprise formative meetings in which different educational managers system take part in two settings, the regional board with 25 schools and one of the participating schools. The analysis is based on thematic content and argumentative organization, and on critical situations and the potentials they entailed. Findings: The study guides to the conclusions of the process of creative chain as a possibility to expand management in the educational system and its community. Research limitations/implications: Every time there is a change in the mayors, there are changes in the way of addressing school management in the city. However, after the project, considerations about the needs of the communities became part of the public policy regardless of who is in charge of the city and its educational system. Practical implications: This study can be used for transformation in the management and teaching and learning activities and improvement of the school-community relation. Social implications: Socially this study can lead to improvement in the quality of life in the community and at school. Originality/value: Differently from a top down educational management, which enables a reproductive chain, educational management in a creative chain, considering the community needs, enables subjects to become interdependent to expand and transform the activities in the educational system and hence the communities' reality.

Community colleges have evolved a lot over the decades, but as much as they've changed over the years, they've remained true to their core mission of serving their community's needs. They have done so as they always have--by being highly responsive to shifting priorities. This calls to mind the old saying: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Community colleges have been able to evolve successfully while remaining true to their mission because of their agile and highly responsive nature. Community colleges have the ability to morph into what their community needs very quickly while Universities are based in tradition, and while they are good at what they do, community colleges need to remain nimble to facilitate change along with the private sector.

There is a pressing need for American Indian and Native Alaskan professionals who have the preparation necessary to address the quality of life and natural resource issues in Native communities. We assert that universities should adopt proactive strategies that build pathways for Natives to obtain advanced degrees.

Technological developments, social networking and the emergence of sensory micro-computation platforms have facilitated the recent growth of citizen science-public participation in scientific research. Citizen science provides lay audiences platforms for data collection and classification alongside access to large scientific databases. Although these platforms are intended for non-experts, they are often designed by scientists, who may not fully appreciate their importance. This may result in platforms that are incompatible with users' needs and thus underused . This article describes the use of Human Computer Interactions (HCI) in a citizen science project for monitoring air-quality in the local environment. Using interviews, focus groups, questionnaires and log data from the project website (n = 138), in a three-phase iterative process, we identified public requirments from an online data presentation platform. The findings suggest participants were interested in real time, local, easy to understand information, which is practical, ready-to-use and presented in the context. These insights were implemented in the design of a new platform, constructed as a simple three-layer information display with representations of air-quality standards and practical recommendations. We examine participants' use of the platform and discuss motivations and impediments to participation in the future design of citizen science projects for enhancing public engagement in science.

University standards for attaining tenure-track positions, tenure, advancement of rank, and successful periodic evaluation in universities in the Global North primarily center on attainment of research grants and publications. This article considers the ethical implications of these values when action research projects are carried out with impoverished communities in the Global South. Simultaneously, when impoverished communities in the Global South work with Global North universities, they often do so with the experiences of universities and other foreign organizations (religious charities, non-government-organizations, not-for-profits, etc.) having timeframes and funding allocations set to standards of the usual two to five years, along with the knowledge that the "foreign-researcher" will, more than likely, be transient in their lives. Understandably, this relationship of competing needs and dedication will shift moralities of the impoverished community and "local-researcher" given the growing understanding that the foreign-researcher's commitment is often tied to institutionally required outputs that give them little benefit. This article uses reflexivity to expose the often-challenging experiences of three Action Researchers in different situations as they work on a liberation, emancipation and social-justice based project focusing on Education, Health and Development in a rural region of central Malawi.

The skill set asked of today's top educators is demanding, with higher education boards of trustees targeting versatile leaders able to raise funds, speak to the media and serve as an institution's academic authority, all while maneuvering among constituent groups seeking their time and attention. Community college presidents, in particular, handle these tasks in a much-scrutinized atmosphere of access, affordability and responsiveness to community need, which makes terms of the contract between an administrator and institution all the more important. According to academic leaders, board members and industry experts involved in the contract negotiation process, first-time and seasoned presidents alike should be as careful with their own interests as those of the college they're serving. Prospective presidents today must recognize that contracts--whether an initial agreement or renewal of an established arrangement--can set the stage for a productive relationship between themselves and the board, or, in the worst-case scenario, provide an equitable exit plan that leaves all parties relatively unscathed.

An aging population coupled with changing technology means there are growing dentistry needs across the country--and community colleges are there to train the workforce. Dental accreditations and degrees are currently available at two-year colleges nationwide--including the farthest reaches of Alaska--pointing to an industry very much in demand. This article discusses dental assistant and dental hygienist degree programs at institutions in California, South Dakota, Nevada, Kentucky, and Alaska.

This article describes and demonstrates a methodology for research justice through what I call "homegrown" research methodologies, or methods that are emergent from and responsive to community needs. While academics develop, study, and deploy research methods that are ethical and rigorous, they often do not capture the complex, lived realities of participants' lives. Research justice, in contrast, directly responds to community needs as identified by the community; centers community members as experts in the research process; and "creates, maintains, and engages" experiential, spiritual, cultural, and mainstream knowledges of community members (Jolivétte, "Research Justice" 1). I develop and articulate a theoretical approach for research justice to show how universities can contribute to communities by conducting ethical, useful, and justice-oriented research.

In the French-speaking province of Québec in Canada, entrepreneurship was officially introduced into the Québec Education Program (QEP) in 2001. Entrepreneurship is viewed there as a learning tool associated with the conduct of entrepreneurial projects; that is, student-led action projects that respond to a community need by creating a good, offering a service or organizing an event. The purpose of this article is to report on an investigation conducted into a school shop at primary school level to document what it means to learn to be enterprising in school. The results show that, to learn to be enterprising (i.e. to learn to plan and implement an action project), pupils have to be fully engaged in the creation of the shop and in the inquiry processes to be conducted. Thus they need to be able to identify problems arising, analyse the environment, devise solutions and implement them. Moreover, learning to be enterprising entails learning "through" being enterprising. Two main learning points were enabled by the inquiry processes based on the school shop experience: (1) the integration of multiple disciplinary contents from the QEP, and (2) critical reflection on society.