Dear SIG 041 Members and Colleagues,

Welcome to the AERA Special Interest Group on Experiential Education and Community Engagement – Scholarship and Practice! It is both an honor and a privilege to serve as Chair of this vibrant community of scholars, educators, and practitioners dedicated to advancing research, theory, and practice in experiential learning and community engagement across educational contexts.

Our SIG brings together individuals who are deeply committed to fostering meaningful partnerships between educational institutions and communities, advancing social justice, and enriching student learning through hands-on, transformative experiences. Whether your work centers on service-learning, community-based research, civic engagement, or critical pedagogy, you are part of a collective that values collaboration, innovation, and impact.

In the coming year, we look forward to strengthening our network, uplifting diverse voices, and creating more opportunities for connection—through conference programming, collaborative scholarship, mentoring, and resource sharing. We also invite you to contribute your ideas, participate in SIG activities, and help shape the future direction of our work. In addition to sharing your scholarship at the annual meeting, SIG 41 invites members to share their work through the following media:

• SIG 41 co-sponsors the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning in Teacher Education.
• The SIG also co-sponsors the Advances in Service-Learning Research series published by Information Age Publishing.

Thank you for being part of this inspiring community. Together, we continue to build bridges between theory and practice, campus and community, and research and real-world change.

In solidarity and scholarship,
Elaine Ramzinski, PhD
Chair, AERA SIG 041
Experiential Education and Community Engagement – Scholarship and Practice