North Carolina Central University News August 23, 2012 NCCU Education Professor Wins Award to Travel and Teach in Australia Dr. Kisha Daniels, an associate professor in the H.M. Michaux Jr. School of Education at North Carolina Central University, has received an Endeavour Executive Award from the government of Australia. The Endeavour Awards are a merit-based scholarship program of the Australian government that provides opportunities for citizens of the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas to engage in study, research and professional development in Australia. In many respects, the program is an Australian counterpart to the U.S. State Department's Fulbright Program. Daniels' award is in recognition of her research on the use of service-learning as a teaching strategy. Research by her and others shows that service-learning is an effective form of pedagogy that provides rigor and relevance and also builds leadership, cultural awareness and advocacy skills in future educators. It also has been shown to have a positive influence on K-12 students and urban communities. Daniels has been using service-learning as an instructional tool since 2006 as the co-principal investigator for a grant from Learn and Serve America. She will leave Sept. 1 to spend the fall semester in Australia, working with faculty at the University of Western Sydney to promote the inclusion of service-learning techniques in their education programs, with a particular focus on educational opportunities for marginalized populations. "I am honored to be able to work with service-learning on a global scale," Daniels said. "I will bring back new knowledge to support the School of Education, it's pre-service and professional candidates and the larger Durham community."