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District-university partners increasingly rely on “grow-your-own” licensure programs to address teacher shortages. Because vacancies in special education represent a chronic issue, our district-university partnership developed LEAP – the Licensed Educators’ Accelerated Pathway, successfully preparing 26 paraprofessionals as special education teachers (SEs). We describe a model university-district partnership in which we collaborated to design and implement paraprofessionals’ SE licensure program.

In this general review, we describe a district-university partnership collaboration that resolved barriers experienced by paraprofessionals working toward licensure in special education (Essential #4, Reflection and Innovation). The specialized design and partnership solutions were grounded in SE preparation research literature.

25 (28 entered the program and 25 completed) paraprofessionals from one large urban and several regional districts completed special education licensure through LEAP. Slightly more than half of LEAP participants were Black or Hispanic (see Table 1), contributing to the diversification of SE workforce. University-district partnership was successful in designing and delivering a program that allowed participants: a) to remain employed, b) attend evening classes in their geographic region or online, c) complete all field experiences in sponsoring districts (Essential #2) and d) receive concierge advising from a “completion coach.” We describe solutions to barriers experienced by paraprofessionals and advocate for district-university collaboration to address chronic teacher shortages.

Limitations include lack of data on success of program completers during their first year of teaching as they began this work in Fall 2023. Further, because the participating district was large and urban, generalization of program details for small and rural districts is difficult.

Practical tips for developing grow-your-own special education licensure programs are providing. Detailed descriptions of barriers candidates experienced and ways the district-university partners resolved these issues are included. Programs like the one described has the potential to positively impact teacher pipeline issues.

The program described provided highly-trained teachers to fill chronic vacancies in special education in three participating districts/agencies. Because students receiving special education services are at risk for school failure and are disproportionately impacted by teacher turnover, addressing this area through grow-your-own licensure programs represents a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative. Further, upskilling diverse paraprofessionals to licensed teacher roles represent an economic boost, which they might not otherwise have achieved.

Available research literature signals alarm over persistent teacher shortages in hard-to-staff districts and lack of diversity in the teacher workforce, but few published accounts describe successful programs. Partner collaboration fostered a re-imagining of course formatting and delivery to accommodate adult learners, avoiding problems often reported with alternative programs.

According to Nussbaum (2010), it is really important to develop responsibility and to promote the critical thinking, above all through pedagogical appropriate interventions. Education has to offer the instruments and pedagogical models useful to let people be able to participate actively to the building of a society taking into account the diversities and the resources deriving from them. One of these can be service-learning methodology where students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service. Literature documents that service-learning activities enhanced students’ problem-solving abilities (Conrad & Hedin, 1982; Goldsmith, 1996) social competence (Osborne, Hammerich, & Hensley, 1998), civic responsibility (Goldsmith, 1996; Zeldin & Tarlov, 1997). Starting from this theoretical framework, this chapter will describe the results of a case study analysis on the relationship between the capability approach and service-learning in higher education. In particular, guided by the capability approach of Sen (1987) and Nussbaum (2000, 2010), a qualitative analysis was conducted on students’ reflections on their service-learning experience.

Higher education has to develop personal and professional competences of students and to improve their knowledge and skills as well as their sense of civic engagement and understanding of cultural and social issue. Moreover, higher education research suggests that the use of technology, e-learning and online course can provide a powerful learning experience for students (Volman, 2005). Thus, e-service-learning (E-SL), “…an electronic form of experiential education and incorporates electronically supported service learning” (Malvey, Hamby, & Fottler, 2006, p. 187) could be a teaching and learning methodology to reach these goals. Indeed:

it is delivered online and uses the Internet and state of the art technologies that permit students, faculty, and community partners to collaborate at a distance in an organized, focused, experiential service-learning activity, which simultaneously promotes civic responsibility and meets community needs. (Malvey et al., 2006, p. 187)

it is delivered online and uses the Internet and state of the art technologies that permit students, faculty, and community partners to collaborate at a distance in an organized, focused, experiential service-learning activity, which simultaneously promotes civic responsibility and meets community needs. (Malvey et al., 2006, p. 187)

Starting from a theoretical analysis of the evolution of E-SL, this chapter describes a case study of the use of E-SL in English Language Teaching (ELT) education and reveals the effects that it produces on the development of digital skills, teaching abilities and professional identity of pre-service teachers.

Students from the new generation who enter a university belong to the so-called net generation and are digital natives (Selwyn, 2009). They are equipped with new technologies and expect that technology becomes a part of their education. The most concerning thing in our society is not about economic or social crisis but a spiritual emptiness and a feeling of hopelessness which are permeating the young learners of our society. There is a need for a rational value system that is based on humanistic values that need to be inculcated into the curriculum (Danica & Sazhko, 2013). With concepts like globalization and internationalization taking precedence, there is a need for advancement of knowledge, skills and competencies based on humanistic education (Blessinger, 2019). Humanistic education developed several decades ago as a reaction to unhealthy environments and exposure to detrimental conditions in education (Patterson, 1987). This book has authors from across the globe writing about theories concerning humanizing of pedagogy, exploring the impact of service-learning among undergraduates and emphasizing the development of responsibility to self and others, as well as the promotion of critical thinking, through pedagogically appropriate interventions. The intention of this book is to better understand the educational shift that is occurring in our society toward creating humanizing conditions though pedagogy.

Human sex trafficking is a global rights violation prevalent nationally and globally. This study aims to contribute to the limited research conducted directly with survivors with the goal of building sustainable aftercare from their feedback.

For this qualitative, retrospective study, 15 adult female survivors completed open-ended interviews, took photos and participated in online focus groups to explore identity, sexuality, relationships and factors of community reintegration. Data analysis included multi-level conceptual and thematic coding.

Participants identified with all aspects of complex trauma and domains of post-traumatic growth. Participants highlighted relationship development as the primary source of healing and growth, emphasizing the value of peer-based support and survivor leadership.

The findings affirm the need for ecological and relational perspectives in care of survivors and approaches using a trauma-informed, victim-centered lens. Findings affirm the value of understanding the nuances of complex trauma as well as celebrating the capacity for post-traumatic growth. Furthermore, while relationships are most significantly impacted from the trafficking experience, they are also considered the greatest instrument of healing, offering long-term commitment and belief in the individual. This research excluded males and international trafficking survivors. Participants were recruited through service organizations, and many participants are active in advocacy work, which may hinder generalizable data for all trafficking survivors. Finally, this study did not distinguish data between geographic location or range or length of time since exiting trafficking.

This study highlights the voices of survivors throughout research design and data findings. Their lived experiences provide key recommendations for interaction and intervention. Data include rich expression through photography.