This book builds upon the notion of the public intellectual in a way that makes the term more accessible, using it to refer to education scholars who seek to share their research outside of academia. The stories of public scholars highlighted here acknowledge that the policymaking arena is teeming with value conflicts that can lead to dismissing or ignoring research if it does not fit with political agendas.

Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin, Professor of Educational Leadership and Foundations at the University of Vermont, received her PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She served as a Fulbright Scholar to China, co-edited , co-authored , co-edited , and has been published in numerous journals. Cynthia Reyes is Associate Professor of Middle Level Education and Literacy Education at the University of Vermont. She received her doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has published articles in various research journals including and . Her research interests include digital literacy with English language learners, multilingual education and language policy, and narrative research.

«In this important new book Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin and Cynthia Reyes make a clear and compelling case for socially and politically engaged scholarship that moves beyond the tidy boundaries of academia to confront critical issues related to equity and justice. At a time when inequality is growing and policymakers are more paralyzed than ever in devising solutions to the pressing problems that plague our society, such scholarship is needed now more than ever. For scholars who are more concerned about making a difference than protecting their jobs, this book will be an inspiration.» (Pedro A. Noguera, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education and Executive Director, Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, New York University) «The lament of the academic is over! Gerstl-Pepin and Reyes have pushed us beyond critique and into new forms of engagement with this book. The chapters inspire me and all intellectuals to be citizens first. Knowledge in this is a tool of participation in civic life.» (George W. Noblit, Joseph R. Neikirk Distinguished Professor of Sociology of Education, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) «... Along with the authors in the book, Gerstl-Pepin and Reyes urge academics to step out of their comfort zone, away from their intellectual jargon and contribute to the issues facing society, especially those in the realm of education. Their book not only gives an intellectual rationale for this approach but it contains many examples of how to make research relevant. Given the messy situation that public education in the United States finds itself in, this book is much-needed and vital.» (Marybeth Gasman, Professor of Higher Education and Director, Penn Center for Minority-Serving Institutions, University of Pennsylvania)

«In this important new book Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin and Cynthia Reyes make a clear and compelling case for socially and politically engaged scholarship that moves beyond the tidy boundaries of academia to confront critical issues related to equity and justice. At a time when inequality is growing and policymakers are more paralyzed than ever in devising solutions to the pressing problems that plague our society, such scholarship is needed now more than ever. For scholars who are more concerned about making a difference than protecting their jobs, this book will be an inspiration.» (Pedro A. Noguera, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education and Executive Director, Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, New York University) «The lament of the academic is over! Gerstl-Pepin and Reyes have pushed us beyond critique and into new forms of engagement with this book. The chapters inspire me and all intellectuals to be citizens first. Knowledge in this is a tool of participation in civic life.» (George W. Noblit, Joseph R. Neikirk Distinguished Professor of Sociology of Education, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) «... Along with the authors in the book, Gerstl-Pepin and Reyes urge academics to step out of their comfort zone, away from their intellectual jargon and contribute to the issues facing society, especially those in the realm of education. Their book not only gives an intellectual rationale for this approach but it contains many examples of how to make research relevant. Given the messy situation that public education in the United States finds itself in, this book is much-needed and vital.» (Marybeth Gasman, Professor of Higher Education and Director, Penn Center for Minority-Serving Institutions, University of Pennsylvania)

Contents: Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin/Cynthia Reyes: A Case for Emphasizing the «Public» in Public Intellectual – Michael F. Giangreco: Crisscrossing from Classrooms to Cartoons: Social Science Satire – Valerie Kinloch: «Languaging Their Lives», Places of Engagement and Collaborations with Urban Youth – Margarita Machado-Casas/Belinda Bustos Flores/Enrique Murillo, Jr.: Reframing: We Are Not Public Intellectuals; We Are Movement Intellectuals – Robert J. Nash: Scholarly Personal Narrative as a Way to Connect the Academy to the World – Susan Ohanian: When a Public Intellectual Speaks Out But No One Hears Her, Does She Exist? – Sherman Dorn: The Naked Seminar: Blogging as Public Education Outside the Classroom – William J. Mathis: The Public Intellectual: The Changing Context; Implications for Attributes and Practices – William Ayers: Reflections of a «Stunt Intellectual»: Caught in the Crosshairs of «Public» Controversy – Juli Anna Ávila: Traveling Down a Desire Line: Surviving Where Academia and Community Meet – Alan Tinkler/Barri Tinkler: Conversations That Matter: Community-Based Practice in Support of the Public Good – Steven Jay Gross: An Inevitable Dichotomy … Harmonizing Public Intellectual Academic Work – Cynthia Reyes/Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin: Reimagining the Public Intellectual in Education: Making Scholarship Matter.