IMPROVING EDUCATION THROUGH UNIVERSITY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP, AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

For decades, educators have described an important gap between research and practice, which ultimately hinders students' success in school. For example, researchers have posited that school practitioners do not effectively use the knowledge-base developed through research, and school practitioners contend that educational research is often tangential or irrelevant for solving the real-life complexities of educating students in schools. Contributing to this research-to-practice gap is the continuously low percentage of peer-reviewed research articles that describe feasible intervention and prevention activities for teachers. One possible strategy for reducing the gap between research and practice may come from an increased understanding and commitment to a framework of community-engaged scholarship (CES). At its core, CES refers to full collaboration (not just involvement) of community partners (e. g., schools, community-based centers), university researchers, and university students. Within the collaboration, each partner is collectively responsible for (and capable of) generating information, learning, and resources that are guided by a shared goal and an effort to address a meaningful public concern. As such, collective responsibility for generating knowledge and resources is mutually respected and mutually beneficial for all partners. Thus, effective partnerships within CES include open dialogue about the meaningful contributions each member has the potential to make, as well as open conversation about a shared commitment to reciprocity. In this presentation we contend that that school-based researchers and practitioners can greatly benefit from a deeper understanding of the practices and benefits of CES, and that CES is more likely to result in research and knowledge generation that is more productive, practically meaningful, enduring, and of better quality. One purpose of this presentation will be to compare traditional university research and scholarship to a CES framework for scholarship. The presentation will also highlight the important role of university leadership and administration for creating a supportive infrastructure for faculty-led CES, and highlight benefits and challenges associated with CES. For context and illustrative purposes, this presentation will also summarize the research and development of an early literacy program that was developed using a CES framework and is now being used and evaluated by educators internationally. As a result of attending this presentation, it is expected that attendees will learn more about the theoretical and practical framework of CES and learn how to feasibly use a framework of CES within their own professional activities (research or school-based practice) in an attempt to address meaningful issues related to education. Strategies for using a CES framework at both a national and international level will also be discussed.