Calls for greater attention to be given to the politics of human service delivery in the local arena. Based on a random survey of college course offerings, argues that current undergraduate curricula do not adequately incorporate material that focuses on local issues and community decision making. (RJM)

Community attitudes can profoundly reinforce or virtually neutralize the work of teachers and school administrators. Young people's motivation for learning will be weakened if high standards are not valued by classmates, parents, and the community. The community is obligated to provide comfortable school buildings, provide the best teachers…

Reviews four books on urban education, discussing prospective policy solutions to improve its condition. Discusses how the books agree or disagree with emerging policy patterns and perspectives and argues that the solution is not linking urban schools to the suburbs, but rather centering the education policy discussion on urban students,…

Maintains that a weakening of spiritual myths as the transmitter of communal values places a greater responsibility on the home and school to create these values. Asserts that these values can be defined through patterns of social action and interaction, and reinforced through the general curriculum. (MJP)