Peer-Reviewed Articles
As we launch this journal, these first articles are works that were written by members of the Advisory Board; all of which have been peer-reviewed through the processes in place at the journals or conferences where they were originally published.
Going forward, articles submitted by readers will undergo a rigorous academic peer-review process. First, JCEC’s own editors review the piece for quality and alignment with the journal’s focus. Peer-reviewers with expertise in the subject are then identified to read and evaluate the work to accept it as is, or make suggestions for improvement and ultimate publication. The research articles in JCEC focus on many different ways to collaborate for equitable change and represent scholarship and action from a wide range of disciplines and communities.
Navigating Academia During COVID-19: Perspectives and Strategies from Women of Color
edited by Anuli Njoku & Marian Evans
This edited volume provides personal narratives of a diverse group of scholars in academia regarding strategies to navigate academia during times of COVID-19 and unrest. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) women in academia are grappling with emotional tolls and invisible burdens, discrimination, political turmoil, social unrest, and public health crises. Moreover, the rapid pivot response to COVID-19 has exacerbated inequities among BIPOC women in academia. This book explores their stories of ordeal, triumph, loss, and hope.
Constructing Collaborative Success for Network Learning: the Story of the Discovery Community Self-Assessment Tool by Angela Frusciante & Carmen Siberon
Despite conversations about the importance of community collaboration, foundations continue to struggle with how to best frame and support collaborative success. · Existing tools to assess collaboration may not fit with either a foundation’s values or a specific program strategy. · From a foundation perspective, developing a community self-assessment tool reinforced the idea that collaborative functioning is crucial and deserves attention. · This article shares a story of the development and initial use of the Discovery Community Self-Assessment Tool as a process of social construction critical to collective action and a possible indicator of network learning.
Gearing up to GEAR UP:
Four Perspectives on Early Implementation Considerations for GEAR UP by Sousan Arafeh, Joy Fopiano, Deb Risisky & Norris Haynes
GEAR UP, a federally-funded pre-college outreach program, strives to provide academic and other supports to middle and high school students and their families to help them prepare for, and pursue, higher education. GEAR UP was established in 1998 and has helped well over 1.5 million students and families in 534 Partnership and State grant programs throughout the United States and its territories (National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP), 2011). This paper utilizes a phenomenological frame to explore certain key considerations involved in the initial implementation phases of a GEAR UP grant. Four distinct qualitative phenomenological perspectives from Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) faculty members involved in a current State of Connecticut GEAR UP grant Alliance are shared. Through these four accounts, qualitative, descriptive information about specific systemic, organizational, content, and procedural factors to consider when beginning implementation and planning for a 6-year university-school district partnership like GEAR UP are considered. Specific areas of focus are social emotional learning, evaluation, inter-systemic administration and organization, and professional development. The information here is preliminary and intended to contribute in-depth program content and process information to assist with program building and collaborative team building in the kinds of inter-systemic and inter- and intraorganizational partnerships that multiple year programs such as GEAR UP require. The insights are not necessarily limited to GEAR UP, however, and may be applicable to other partnership initiatives and/or other large-scale program implementation efforts.