This article is an ethnographic case study of the work of two activist groups in Kansas City, Missouri. It discusses how unhoused activists with the Kansas City Homeless Union, through their 13-month on-and-off occupation of city property, worked to reframe access in ways that moved toward what disability justice activists call collective access,…

The learning outcome, "Students will learn to engage with and impact society," is common in curricular frameworks addressing undergraduate sociology education; however, it does not receive adequate coverage compared to other competencies. The lack of attention to this outcome coupled with the tendency to focus heavily on social problems…

A new study reveals four responses school leaders typically take toward conflict among students--but one rises above the rest for success. Research shows that community-driven responses to acts of intolerance can reenforce a school culture of inclusivity. Researchers John Rogers and Joseph Kahne present case studies from schools across the country…

This paper will argue for routine, reciprocal and meaningful partnerships between the University and the local community. Participation in both policymaking and the generation of knowledge has traditionally been dominated by over-represented groups, drawing on the limited expertise of professionals and practitioners. However, an increasing body of…

Local communities are increasingly becoming concerned about what to do about changing climatic conditions and they want to know more about how to best work together to address complicated socioecological issues. This paper addresses this need by presenting findings from four exploratory case studies (two in Maine and two in Oregon). The…

Successful collaboration is a pressing need for groups, organizations, and communities who are looking to identify solutions to local problems. As these local problems become increasingly complex, collaboration requires the engagement and active participation of diverse stakeholders. In order to support the success of cross-sector, multiple…

The importance of schoolwide visions is widely accepted and emphasized across the educational-leadership literature. The visioning process and resulting written vision and mission statements can have consequential impacts on the daily life of schools, particularly decisions related to instruction, curriculum, budget, and other key issues. For…

Ambassadors for Biodiversity (EmBio) is an ocean literacy research project that contributes to the improvement of literacy on marine and coastal biodiversity, namely encompassing the areas covered by the Natura 2000 Network, by promoting coastal and oceanic resources conservation and natural and cultural values preservation of the Portuguese…

This article expands upon and problematizes the practice of community-engaged research (CES) through the lens of school closings. Rather than employ a one-dimensional view of CES that portrays university researchers and community partners as collaborating equally on all stages of the research, we suggest a broader, more flexible understanding that…

Civic leaders who are highly and effectively engaged often have strong relationships with key stakeholders across institutions and communities. The prevalence and nature of these relationships is not known among those with more typical levels of civic engagement. We were interested in the perceptions of likelihood of individual versus community…

Grounded in critical policy theories and democratic conceptions of research, case studies of three community-based organizations, one in Canada and two in the U.S., were analyzed to determine if and how the groups engaged with research in their efforts to influence education policy. The findings demonstrate that the community-based organizations…

As resources for health promotion become more constricted, it is increasingly important to collaborate across sectors, including the private sector. Although many excellent models for cross-sector collaboration have shown promise in the health field, collective impact (CI), an emerging model for creating larger scale change, has yet to receive…

Iin urban communities across the nation, a broad range of partners have committed to reinventing educational time together to ensure equitable access to rich learning opportunities for all young people. Across the nation, education partners are using their creativity, commitment, and unique resources to create new school and system designs that…

The concept of Big Society provides inspiration--working "bottom up" to promote "collective action, reciprocity and a new, more engaged relationship between local people and public services". With so much written about the theory of the Big Society, this seems like an ideal time to put a little more practical detail into the mix. The authors argue…

Climate change education in the southeastern United States can be challenging. Due to economic factors, as well as the conservative political and faith perspectives typical of the region, high proportions (40%) of the population are not engaged, not convinced, or doubt Earth's climate is changing or that climate change has anthropogenic causes.…