Describes an externally funded program that enabled twelve urban elementary schools to expand community outreach by hiring community residents and a program coordinator who worked with service agencies and teachers to develop a wide variety of activities catering to students and neighborhood members. One school's program is profiled. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the benefits for students and communities of service-learning experiences. Briefly describes student efforts to formulate and solve community problems as part of the Expeditionary Learning project (Massachusetts), which calls on adults and students to embark on experiential learning "expeditions" to renew themselves as…

Increasingly, colleges and universities are engaging in service learning, but for service learning to be successful in rural communities, students and faculty must look beyond the stereotypes of rural life and see rural people and places for what they are. Rural stereotypes are discussed, and a "stay option" is identified as a common…

The search for community and the development of democracy through civic participation are the binding glue of the nation. The Cooperative Extension Service was formed in recognition of that fact, and its goal was to preserve community as technical capacity increased. During the 20th century, community has been lost to cyberspace and commercialism,…

Fifty-one years of working in Appalachia on land resettlement and preservation of local values have taught Marie Cirillo the importance of not thinking in terms of either/or. It is not science/technology versus indigenous knowledge; it is how one connects the two so there can be proper balance. It is not capital versus labor; it is not…

High schools are simply not designed to help young people develop interests or passions, become deeply engaged and productive in the life of the community, develop a commitment to high-quality work, or make connections and build relationships with peers and adults. School-to-career, arts education, and service learning each offer especially…

An ecological framework for predicting citizen participation in grassroots community organizations and predicting community disorder problems (such as crime and fear) was developed and tested. The framework, which is called an ecological framework for sustainable community learning and development, delineates the relevant economic, political,…