Sponsored by the Robert Schuck Fund, this award recognizes and promotes exceptional research that makes a substantial contribution to the improvement of teacher education
Faculty and two alumni in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education were recently honored with the Association of Teacher Educators’ 2026 Robert F. Schuck Distinguished Research in Teacher Education Award for their article “Community Mapping in Teacher Preparation: Developing Undergraduate ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ’ Knowledge of Community Assets.”
The article was published in “Action in Teacher Education,” by Associate Professor of Education Heidi Hollingsworth, Associate Professor of Education Lisa Buchanan, Abigail Maclean Wilson ’21, Felicia Robinson ’21, and William S. Long Professor and Professor of Education Jeffrey Carpenter.
The research focuses on the impact of a course-based community asset mapping project on ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ students’ capacity for identifying and understanding assets within communities surrounding specific schools.
“Action in Teacher Education is a journal that I find relevant to my work in the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ Teacher Education and M.Ed. programs here at Elon, and I have attended and presented at the ATE Annual Meeting conference in the past, so it was exciting for our article to be recognized in this way,” said Heidi Hollingsworth, associate professor of education, and one of the authors. “Huge thanks to my co-authors who were integral in the conceptualization and implementation of the project and the analyses that led to this publication.”
“The best part of this multi-year project was working with faculty colleagues and graduates. It is an honor write together and to share this award with them,” said Lisa Buchanan, associate professor of education and one of the authors.
Sponsored by the Robert Schuck Fund, this award recognizes and promotes exceptional research that makes a substantial contribution to the improvement of teacher education. Established in honor of Robert F. Schuck, the award reflects his enduring commitment to rigorous scholarship that strengthens the field. Through this recognition, ATE seeks to encourage research that advances teacher education, supports the national and international dissemination of impactful findings, and expands the knowledge base that informs our profession.
About the Authors
Heidi Hollingsworth is an associate professor of education at ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ. Her research focuses on teacher preparation that involves policy and advocacy, community-based learning, academic service-learning, community asset mapping and study abroad.
Lisa Buchanan is an associate professor of education at ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ. Her research in teacher education is focused on preservice and in service teachers’ beliefs and decision making, social studies education and the use of children’s literature and media to teach difficult topics.
Jeffrey Carpenter is a professor of education at ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ. His research focuses on self-directed and collaborative teacher learning.
Abigail Maclean Wilson ’21 graduated from ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ in 2021 with a major in elementary education and a minor in early childhood education. She recently spent two years in Zambia working with a university ministry.
Felicia Robinson ’21 graduated from ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ in 2021 with a major in elementary education and a minor in African and African American studies. She is an educator and a program assistant for the Intercultural Learning Certificate Program at ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ.