School-University Partnerships
2025 Guest Issue: Call for Papers
Guest Editors
John Pascarella, University of Southern California
Stephanie Savick, Notre Dame of Maryland University
Overview
This special issue explores the challenges, opportunities, and innovations in school-university partnerships advancing educational equity amid political polarization, culturally divisive conflict, and policy restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in PK-12 schools and higher education institutions.
Since 2020, over 800 anti-critical race theory (CRT) measures have been introduced across 44 states, and 41% of teachers in a 2024 Pew Research Center survey reported that debates over race and gender instruction negatively impacted their work. PEN America documented over 10,000 book bans in 2023-24, nearly doubling the prior two school years combined. These measures, coupled with intense school board elections and threats against educators, have contributed to an estimated $3.2 billion in additional costs for public schools due to security, legal fees, and administrative burdens.
In 2025, 60 Presidential Executive Orders were issued, including one titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.” Educators now face new legal, policy, and funding
uncertainties while striving to uphold historical accuracy and facilitate age-appropriate discussions of race, gender, and identity. Given these challenges, research on school-university partnerships’ role in fostering educational equity remains critical.
This issue seeks to highlight collaborative efforts between universities and schools to mitigate political conflicts and sustain equitable learning environments for historically underserved
students. Featuring case studies, evidence-based strategies, historical analyses, and reflective practices, this issue aims to provide valuable insights for educators, administrators, policymakers, and community organizations.
Proposed Topics
Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Impact of Political Polarization – Evaluations and research on how political division and anti-DEI measures affect school and university educators, administrators, policymakers,
and community organizations. Case studies, ethnographies, and autoethnographies examining these impacts are welcome. - Cultivating Community Engagement – Analyses of school-university partnerships that have fostered collaboration and dialogue among educators, students, and families despite political challenges.
- Navigating Increased Scrutiny – Research on how partnerships support and retain educators affected by political debates on race, gender, and identity in education.
- Evidence-Based Decision-Making – Assessments of changes in budgets, personnel, and resources affecting partnerships that support DEI programming and professional
development. - New Pathways for Equitable Learning – Strategies for collecting and utilizing data to design innovative pathways for equitable learning in K-12 classrooms.
Publication Timeline
This themed issue will be published in late 2025 or early 2026.
- Submission Window: February 15 – May 15, 2025
- Peer Review & Feedback: May 15 – July 15, 2025
- Final Revisions Due: July 15, 2025
Submission Guidelines
Articles must not exceed 10,000 words, including text, abstract, references, tables, and figures. Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word format and follow APA 7th edition guidelines. Submissions must be anonymized for double-blind peer review. The target number of accepted papers is 8-10.
Proposal Submission
Submit manuscripts via the online system: https://emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/sup
For inquiries, contact John Pascarella at pascarel@usc.edu.