Critical approaches to HRD do not focus solely on improving organizational performance; instead, they address previously undiscussable issues such as power, politics, class, sexism, racism, and heterosexism. Since critical HRD often seeks to raise problems instead of solve them immediately, it is sometimes criticized for being elitist and detached…

This report describes the status of New York's Puerto Rican community and calls for greater corporate, philanthropic, government and community support for change. A brief introduction argues that Puerto Ricans represent a vast resource and must be assisted in gaining their rightful access to the mainstream, for the benefit of all society. The need…

The Duke Endowment's Program for the Rural Carolinas is a 5-year effort to assist the revitalization of rural communities. Guiding principles of the program are that the rural Carolinas matter, this generation of workers matters, effective community development involves the entire community, solutions must be locally determined, healthy…

Rural communities have long experienced an outmigration of talented people to urban areas for better employment opportunities. The traditional rural economic model, especially prevalent in Appalachia and the rural South, involves outside capital promoting industrial development separated from community needs and culture. This, at worst, is…

Examines the condition of human resources in the rural South, particularly educational attainment, outmigration, illiteracy, and quality of rural schools. Discusses strategies for the development of human resources in the 1990s involving local, state, and federal governments and the role of rural sociologists. Contains 40 references. (Author/SV)

The premises, platform, and strategies of the second phase of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC) Putting America Back to Work campaign are outlined in this paper. The section outlining premises contends that the United States' economy is in trouble; that economic problems are bound up with international marketing;…

This paper questions whether public concerns about educational quality and slow economic development in Appalachia are being addressed adequately and suggests that the problem of lagging educational performance is rooted in the social and economic environment within which schools operate. Recent high unemployment in south central Kentucky and its…

The leadership of communities of color should reexamine vocational-technical education as a potentially effective channel for training Black and Latino youth. None of the five potential schooling channels--public schools, vocational schools and programs, employment training programs, apprenticeship and union programs, and prisons--has done an…

This document reports on the discussion conducted at a seminar in Strasbourg on local development, with particular reference to local development officers in European countries. Of specific interest to the conference participants was the importance of the local and regional dimension in adult education and the latter's contribution to general…

Partnerships between postsecondary education institutions and employers, unions, professional associations, and other groups are discussed. The majority of examples are based on projects of the Education and the Economy Alliance, a program supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. Partnerships and joint, or…

This paper proposes a model for a neighborhood program to help enough low-income individuals improve their employment and financial standing so that the impacts are meaningful at a neighborhood scale. Section I describes the project. Section II explains why neighborhood-focused employment programs are an important part of the solution for…

To become one of the world's most innovative countries, Canada requires a national innovation strategy for the 21st century. It is progressing toward a more innovative economy, but lags behind many developed countries in terms of overall innovation performance. A national innovation strategy to meet Canada's innovation challenge proposes goals,…

This publication captures the thoughts, suggestions, and concerns Canadians expressed through an engagement process on behalf of the Government of Canada to animate discussion on Canada's innovation and learning challenges. The chapters provide summaries of what different groups had to say in relation to these key challenge areas and themes set…

This report provides a summary of the objectives, proceedings, and major outcomes of a summit meeting of over 500 leaders from across Canada convened to validate and prioritize strategic recommendations from an innovation and learning engagement process and to discuss key challenges to realization of Canada's vision to become one of the most…

The Illinois Rural Planning Council spent 1 year developing four task force reports assessing the needs of the state's rural areas and developing solutions to rural problems. The task force reports are principally directed to the Governor and the State Legislature, although the recommendations may be used by federal and state agencies wishing to…