ABSTRACT

This chapter begins with a statement regarding the purpose of education and an examination of current challenges to the attainment of this purpose. Definitions of transformational partnerships, community engagement and community engaged scholarship and research are presented as areas of focus, showing how education can be true to both its vision and the people. As a means of illustrating change in teacher education the chapter then provides an analysis of transformational partnerships for teaching and learning, an institutional journey of community engagement at national and international levels, and the challenges faced in embedding community engaged scholarship and research at an institutional level. This analysis shows the power and inter-relationship of these three domains, transformational partnerships, community engagement and community engaged scholarship and research, in giving priority to the underlying values of education in the competitive contexts of today. The chapter shows how the light, both direct and dappled, from these three domains offers a way forward for being true to UNESCO’s vision for “children and adults alike” within the complexities of the contexts faced by communities, teacher education institutions and teacher educators.