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The article explores how higher education institutions responded to the global pandemic with particular attention to the ways they supported national and local social needs for healthcare, public health, data, food delivery, and the like. It further explores new model for higher education going forward with new challenges.

The article explores how urban universities can be anchor institutions for health equity. Particular focus is given to conditions in states including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, Ohio. Additional topics discussed include gentrification, the engagement of universities with their surrounding communities, and efforts taking place at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University.

This article explores the university-assisted community school approach as it has been developed at the University of Pennsylvania with its school and community partners in West Philadelphia since 1985, as well as adapted nationally. The approach is grounded in John Dewey's theory that the neighborhood school can function as the core neighborhood institution that provides comprehensive services, galvanizes other community institutions and groups, and helps solve the myriad problems schools and community confront in a rapidly changing world. Building on Dewey's ideas, the authors argue that all colleges and universities should make solving the problem of the American schooling system a very high institutional priority; their contributions to its solution should count heavily both in assessing their institutional performance (by themselves and others) and be a critical factor when responding to their requests for renewed or increased resources and financial support. Providing concrete examples from over 20 years of work in West Philadelphia, as well as from initiatives across the country, this article explores the potential of developing university-assisted community schools as an effective approach for school reform, pre-Kindergarten through higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two decades ago service-learning as an innovation lingered on the periphery of the academy. Today, service-learning has spread across American higher education. Few educational innovations have achieved such relatively rapid success. This article describes the historical and philosophical underpinnings of service-learning. It notes some of the significant debates that have occurred among its practitioners. The authors draw from experience at their university, the University of Pennsylvania, to describe the importance of connecting service-learning to the core educational and civic missions of a college or university, as well as to provide a case study of how that connection might be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Democratic partnerships of universities, schools, and an array of neighborhood and community organizations are the most promising means of improving the lives of our nation's young people. Over the past two decades, many colleges and universities have been experiencing a renaissance in engagement activities. Universities, once ivory towers, have increasingly come to recognize that their destinies are inextricably linked with their communities. Authentic democratic partnerships have three characteristics: they are devised to achieve democratic purposes, the collective work is advanced through inclusive and democratic processes, and the product these partnerships produce benefits all participants and results in a strengthening of the democratic practices within the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the implications of educational structure and democracy in the U.S. According to the author, a specific standards and types of educational system is necessary in establishing a society that maintain and upholds social order and effective democratic practice. It also cites the techniques and best solution on the development of democratic schools as well as university-assisted community schools for the 21st century.

The article explores the role of the U.S. higher education in advancing democracy and its ideals. It focuses on the civic idealism of Benjamin Franklin on the ability of education to cultivate the civic values of students and provide them with practical skills needed to address social problems. Thus, the main purpose of education is service to society and to the nation. It discusses the development of educational programs for political participation of the colleges and universities in the country. Amy Gutmann, University of Pennsylvania president and political philosopher, states that the university has become an institution which is strongly oriented to advancing democratic and civic works.

Under the leadership of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Community Partnerships, the university-assisted community school model is showing positive results for children and youth in West Philadelphia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community schools are environment-changing institutions that engage children, families, neighbors, and local organizations in active work to improve life and learning in the community. This article describes how community schools create conditions that enable students to learn and teachers to teach at high levels. The authors discuss keys to creating community schools, as well as challenges to the movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the issue of democratization and commodification as two contradictory forces shaping U.S. universities and society as of 2002. Historical overview of the contradictory legacy of higher education in the U.S. from the founding of Harvard University in 1636 through 2002; Details on a proposed anticommodification strategy for higher education; Analysis of the ideas and work of such advocates as William Rainey Harper.

The article presents a rationale for restoring the mission-oriented nature of American universities. With particular attention to social work and the social sciences, the article traces the origins of that rationale to Jane Addams, the women of Hull House, and other Progressive Era social scientists qua social reformers. It also describes a general strategy of organizational structures, activities, and mechanisms developed at the University of Pennsylvania to help enable the "neo-Progressive" reconstruction of the university through academically based community service. It is the contention of the authors that American social science should be about the "relief of man's estate." It suggests that if the American university is to fulfill its promise and help create a decent and just society, it must give full-hearted, full-minded attention to solving the complex interrelated problems. The benefits of doing so would, one is convinced, be considerable for the university, social science, and the American city.

Comments on Barry Checkoway's essay `Reinventing the Research University for Public Service.' Why the essay can be described as an important piece; Need for the research university to be reinvented to meet the needs of the twenty-first century; View that Checkoway's essay could have been stronger if he had placed the reinvention of universities into a broader context.

Presents information as it relates to academic service learning which is derived from a theory of democratic education and schooling developed by John Dewey to replace Plato's aristocratic theory of education and society. What Dewey's theory entails; Reference to some of the contributions made by Francis Bacon during the seventeenth century.

Identifies the principal causes of crisis in the university and the social sciences. Intellectual fragmentation and structural contradiction; Proposal of a radical reorientation of American universities toward helping solve real-world problems; Communal participatory action research project initiated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses an article on the education and development of young people, the development of an effective partnerships between universities and community organizations for youth development, and the relationship between education and youth development.

The article presents information related to the obesity culture explained in the "International Journal of Body Composition Research." It is noted that the articles are upon practical experience based on projects in Philadelphia, conditions in Central American countries, and public health measures around the world. It is noted that according to the obesity culture, universities and community schools are an ideal place for new methods to bring people together in the community.

Improving communication between people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and the public is critical to the future of STEM. Partnerships between institutions of higher education with K-12 schools are identified as one effective strategy to support community engagement. We have employed a service-learning model to develop a chemistry course (Chemistry 010) that engages undergraduate students in developing and teaching chemistry experiments for a secondary school audience. This service-learning course design provided us with the consistency and flexibility to sustain substantive learning experiences for both the undergraduates and secondary students. In addition to describing the model of this course in detail, we evaluate this course's impact on undergraduate scientific communication skills. Analysis of reflections written by the undergraduates reveals that Chemistry 010 is an effective course structure for them to explore and assess their competencies to teach and communicate scientific concepts. The course's influence on the secondary students, teacher partners, and university instructors will be the focus of future studies to ensure the mutual benefit of all involved parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]