Michigan State University scholars Joanne Marciano and Beth Herbel-Eisenmann are recipients of the Distinguished Partnership Award for Community-Engaged Teaching for their leadership in The Youth Voices Project, an initiative that empowers middle and high school students through participatory research.
Each year, Michigan State University’s Distinguished Partnership Awards recognize faculty and their community partners for outstanding, community-engaged scholarship that promotes mutual learning and meaningful societal impact.
Elevating youth voices
Marciano and Herbel-Eisenmann co-lead The Youth Voices Project, an ongoing community-university partnership with Edgewood Village Housing Nonprofit in East Lansing, Michigan. The initiative is rooted in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), a methodology that empowers young people to investigate and address issues that impact their lives.
Through free weekly after-school programming, the project provides middle and high school students with structured opportunities to develop critical research skills, including how to formulate research questions, collect and analyze data and communicate their findings to drive social change. These sessions also foster leadership skills, civic engagement and college readiness as participants regularly visit MSU’s campus, engage with faculty mentors and present their research at academic conferences.
Since its launch in 2019, the program has engaged more than 40 youth participants, guiding them in projects that range from advocating for school policy changes to raising funds for community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, students worked with local school officials to push for policy changes that address equity in education, and during the pandemic, they raised over $7,000 to help families in their community cover essential expenses.
Additionally, youth participants led efforts to improve their local basketball court, securing support from housing officials to renovate the space and create a safer, more accessible environment for community recreation.
“Our role as faculty is to establish reciprocal relationships and learn what matters most to the youth,” said Marciano, an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education. “We couldn’t do this work without the collaboration of our community partners.”
Mentoring the next generation of researchers
A key component of The Youth Voices Project is its commitment to mentoring the next generation of community-engaged educational researchers. Four doctoral students serve as research assistants, contributing to the project’s impact while gaining hands-on experience in community-engaged scholarship:
- Katie Tasch Bielecki, Curriculum Instruction and Teacher Education program
- Faith Longnight, Curriculum Instruction and Teacher Education program
- Ishan Santra, Mathematics Education Doctoral program
- Sabrina Zarza, Mathematics Education Doctoral program
These doctoral students work closely with faculty, youth participants and community partners to support research efforts.
Lasting impact and future growth
Through mentorship from MSU faculty, graduate students and community educators, participants gained college readiness skills and exposure to university research settings, including opportunities to visit campus, co-author academic papers and present their findings at national conferences. In 2024, the project received funding to further its mission, funding youth stipends, technology access and opportunities for student-led research presentations.
The impact of The Youth Voices Project extends beyond the local community. Findings from the initiative have been published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at national conferences and used to inform educational policy discussions.
“Through their leadership in The Youth Voices Project, Marciano and Herbel-Eisenmann exemplify MSU’s land-grant mission to advance knowledge and transform lives through education,” said Jerlando F. L. Jackson, College of Education dean and MSU Research Foundation Professor. “Their work continues to shape how community-engaged teaching fosters real-world impact, ensuring that the voices of youth remain at the center of research and policy discussions.”
Both faculty members will be formally recognized for their achievements at MSU’s Community Engagement Scholarship Celebration, March 20, 2025.
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