Experiential learning—bringing academic inquiry into community settings has the power to co-create knowledge and spark systemic change1. Linking this learning to community-engaged pedagogy provides an opportunity to build capacity, addressing real-world issues through co-learning2 . Through Dr. Michelle Searle’s (Dr. Amanda Cooper, co-PI) Catalyst Research Grant from the Centre for Community Engagement and Social Change (CCESC) graduate students are connected with community partners for sustained research and evaluation efforts that make a tangible difference to community goals and student learning.
The 2024-2025 pilot program, grounded in the Evaluation as Community-Engaged Scholarship course, matched graduate students with community partners to support meaningful research initiatives. Partners came from a variety of sectors, including K-12 school boards, higher education, community arts, and municipal government. Doctoral student Shannan Crowder joined the inaugural internship cohort to collaborate with a school district, asking essential questions about how to address post-COVID-19 attendance issues in K-12 settings.
Mental health challenges, socioeconomic barriers, disengagement, the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing shortages, and policy gaps all play significant roles in hindering attendance3. Evidence suggests that employing tiered interventions, such as school-wide Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs, mentorship opportunities, and function-based support tailored to individual needs, can promote attendance and reduce the risks of absenteeism4. A coordinated effort among educators, policymakers, families, and community organizations is essential to address these complex issues and foster environments that encourage consistent school attendance and academic engagement. Understanding challenges and beneficial intervention strategies can positively shape attendance outcomes in the future.
A core aspect of Shannan’s role involved collaborating with district leaders to explore the declining student attendance across the board. Together, they examined potential causes and discussed proactive strategies for re-engagement. In support of knowledge sharing and planning, Shannan produced two comprehensive literature briefs. The first focused on “The Decline in Attendance Rates in Ontario Schools”, with a two-part analysis: Part One investigated how chronic absenteeism contributes to declining academic performance, while Part Two surveyed intervention strategies that have shown promise in boosting attendance. The second offered “Guidelines for the Effective Use of School Climate Surveys”, connecting research with practice to inform future data collection approaches. Key findings showed:
- Consider Developmental Differences: Students' perceptions of school climate may vary depending on their age and developmental stage (Waasdorp et al., 2019). It is essential to utilize age-appropriate survey instruments and interpret the results within the context of developmental expectations. Comparing results across grade levels without considering these developmental nuances might lead to misinterpretations.
- Combine Quantitative and Qualitative Data: Use school climate surveys in conjunction with other qualitative data sources, such as focus groups or interviews, to gain a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to the school climate (Konishi et al., 2022). This mixed-methods approach gave a more comprehensive and contextually rich interpretation of the quantitative survey findings.
This inquiry process led to the development of products and conversations that considered contributions from both theory and practice in addressing practical attendance issues. These conversations influenced system decisions about attendance pathways and priorities. The usefulness of this partnership did not stop there. Michelle reflected on the experience:
“Shannan’s internship exemplifies what it means to engage in research that matters—with graduate learners contributing to timely issues alongside community partners. It’s about co-learning, co-creating, and building capacity for evidence-informed change. Shannan’s work demonstrates how academic knowledge and skills can translate into meaningful contributions that support equity and student well-being in real-world settings.”
A key aspect of community-engaged experiential learning partnership is for students to develop and apply a range of scholarly skills, including the skill of knowledge mobilization. Mobilizing knowledge in partner settings may require different skills, outputs, and processes than conventional scholarships. Reflecting on the experience, Shannan shared,
“This internship allowed me to apply my research training grounded in real needs. It reaffirmed my passion for studying innovative teaching methods that promote student engagement.”
Michelle noted that this process of community-engaged experiential learning leverages the strengths and assets of community partners while also enhancing the skill sets of graduate students. The experience also strengthened Shannan’s leadership and collaboration skills, deepened her knowledge of attendance and equity and diversity interventions, and refined her ability to translate research into accessible tools for educators and educational leaders who want to incorporate evidence and practice into decision-making. Importantly, this internship experience also reinforced the direction of Shannan’s PhD research, which investigates how to improve engagement through innovative pedagogical approaches, such as experiential learning, in Ontario’s public school system.
Data was collected from the interns and community partners to deepen understanding of the impact of this experience. A preliminary review of the data suggests that the internships have transformative potential for student learning and partnership development; however, more time is needed to develop foundational knowledge in community-engaged research, program evaluation, research methods, and project management to collaborate effectively beyond the university campus.
Dr. Lindsay Morcom and the team of graduate studies have approved an expanded project for 2025-2026. Working with The Assessment and Evaluation Group (AEG) and the Centre for Community Engagement and Social Change (CCESC), Michelle is launching QLEARN - a 2-credit opportunity for graduate students. One credit is a foundational course that provides theoretical underpinnings for community-engaged scholarship, and the second is an internship credit that involves putting learning into practice by collaborating with a community partner from various sectors to deepen research and evaluation skills.
1Reed & Vasseur, 2024
2Martinez et al., 2012
3Eklund et al., 2022; Zwaagstra, et al., 2023
4Sugai & Horner, 2009; Kearney & Graczyk, 2020
References
Eklund, K., Burns, M. K., Oyen, K., DeMarchena, S., & McCollom, E. M. (2022). Addressing chronic absenteeism in schools: A meta-analysis of evidence-based interventions. School Psychology Review, 51(1), 95–111.
Kearney, C. A., & Graczyk, P. A. (2020). A multidimensional, multi-tiered system of supports model to promote school attendance and address school absenteeism. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 23(3), 316–337.
Konishi, C., Wong, T. K., Persram, R. J., Vargas-Madriz, L. F., & Liu, X. (2022). Reconstructing the concept of school climate. Educational Research, 64(2), 159–175.
Martinez, L. S., Russell, B., Rubin, C. L., Leslie, L. K., & Brugge, D. (2012). Clinical and translational research and community engagement: Implications for researcher capacity building. Clinical and Translational Science, 5(4), 329–332.
Reed, M. G., & Vasseur, L. (2024). Co-creating knowledge for community resilience to sustainability challenges. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 12, 1456992.
Sugai, G., & Horner, R. H. (2009). Responsiveness-to-intervention and school-wide positive behavior supports: Integration of multi-tiered system approaches. Exceptionality, 17(4), 223–237.
Waasdorp, T. E., Mehari, K. R., Milam, A. J., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2019). Health-related risks for involvement in bullying among middle and high school youth. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28, 2606–2617.
Zwaagstra, M., Emes, J., Ryan, E., & Palacios, M. (2023). Where our students are educated: Measuring student enrolment in Canada, 2022. Fraser Institute. https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/where-our-students-are-educated-2022.pdf