Author: Dr. Tara Gully-Hightower

Tara Gully-Hightower is an educator committed to the academic success of urban youth as evidenced by over twenty years of teaching in Boston area colleges, high schools, and middle schools. She earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Urban Education Policy, and Leadership Studies at UMass Boston. Her dissertation work includes running a Participatory Action Research project with community college students to increase college completion rates, especially for students first in their families to attend college, low-income students, and students of color. Before teaching English, Writing, and Humanities in Boston, Cambridge, and Chelsea, she taught Literature and Humanities for The Transitional Year Program at Brandeis University. Presently, she teaches English at Massasoit Community College in Brockton. Tara earned an M.A. in English and American Language and Literature from The Harvard University Extension School and an Ed. M. in Education and Curriculum Development from The Harvard Graduate School of Education. She earned her B.A. in English and American Language and Literature from Brandeis University. She is a graduate of the Fenway High School in Boston.

Boston-Based PAR Network Meeting Overview: 9/13/25

The Boston PAR Network held a successful collaboration meeting on September 13th, 2025 at the Healthy Neighborhood Study Conservation Law Foundation office. We would like to thank everyone who attended and shared their thoughts.

During the meeting, we focused on a variety of projects such as researching with love presented by Amy Collinsworth, a housing affordability report card presented by Shinelle Kirk, and climate justice and building a greater PAR network in Boston presented by One Square World. Educators, students, and residents alike joined us in learning and discussing community collaborative work.

As we continue to move forward during an ever-changing time period for our neighborhoods, working together and sharing our knowledge is an essential in order to reach our goals and continue to turn our research into action.

Our next meeting will be on October 18th, 2025. We hope to see you there!

Working Together to Make it Happen: The next Boston-Based PAR Network 2/22/2025

The next Boston-Based PAR Network has been planned for Saturday, Feb 22nd, 2025, and will take place at the Healthy Neighborhood Study, Conservation Law Foundation offices, at 62 Summer Street in Downtown Boston. The event will run from 10-1 pm. The theme for this meeting will be “Working Together to Make it Happen” where we will do a “Power Analysis” of housing and education resources and start to think about how our work could look when we focus our strengths into Action. There will be a light brunch served as well as time built in for individual project reflection and feedback.  We welcome interested folks to join us in community and solidarity. Please complete the RSVP here https://forms.gle/SLKto4jhXpmg8tUEA

We Refuse to Forget! An Intergenerational Conversation with Our Elders About Justice, Mobilizing, and Engaging Communities.

Boston PAR Network – December Meeting 2024 

On December 7th, Massasoit Participatory Action Student Researchers met at Northeastern University in Boston, for the second meeting of the Boston-PAR Network for Educators and Housing Activists entitled, We Refuse to Forget! An Intergenerational Conversation with Our Elders About Justice, Mobilizing, and Engaging Communities. The focus of this meeting was to learn from experienced, justice-oriented activists who have extensive experience supporting the African American community in Boston from the 1960s through the present. The Elders shared examples of how working in the community can be healing for the individual activists and the community.  

The Boston PAR Network first met in October to kick off this collaboration between three PAR practicing organizations: the Massasoit Community College Participatory Action Research Insititute, headed by Dr. Tara Gully-Hightower, Shinelle Kirk of The Healthy Neighborhoods Study, and Dr. Particia Krueger-Henney of the UMass Boston PAR community. This Network was founded to prioritize a participatory learning community for educators and housing activists. The PAR Network members are comprised of college faculty, K-12 educators, educational leaders, researchers, and members of community-based organizations. The network is a space where participants can be introduced to the theory, methods, ethics, and praxis of Participatory Action Research (PAR). Individuals or teams who would like to try using PAR, are invited to come to the network to ask questions, receive feedback from the PAR Network members, and learn more about the epistemology of PAR.  

Stay tuned for information about future meeting information.