California's 4-H Youth Development Program has adopted an asset-based community development approach to extending programming with Latino youths and families. This approach entails learning and relationship building with local Latino communities and building on untapped existing resources, such as Latino-serving organizations and networks. Here we…

Across the country, school district superintendents are transforming into community school leaders. Responsible for systems of learning that also include school nutrition, bussing, safety, finances, community engagement, and so much more, superintendents recognize that they need a different strategy to effectively address the learning needs of the…

California's schools are facing increasing complexity when it comes to educating their student populations: the next generation of children is more diverse, more likely to live in low-income families, and are majority dual language learners. Research shows that providing supportive, enriching environments for children to connect with caring adults…

Believing in the value of using video documentaries and data as learning tools, members of the REACH technical assistance team collaborated to develop this toolkit. The learning toolkit was designed using and/or incorporating components of the "Engaging Youth in Community Change: Outcomes and Lessons Learned from Sierra Health Foundation's…

The San Francisco Opera Guild sponsors the Operatunities Program which introduces elementary and secondary students in California to opera. For example, each year the Scholar Opera visits 130 schools from San Francisco to San Jose, exposing approximately 50,000 youngsters to the music and drama of opera. (RM)

In San Diego, California, 800 public school students from the inner city are attending a program called School in the Park (SITP), for approximately one-fourth of their 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade education. This unique program blends rigorous academic standards (formal learning) with hands-on, experiential curricula (informal learning), using…

In order to identify and respond to a broad range of identifiable needs within the urban-suburban community, an improved community college district management model was developed which combines the management resources of community colleges with the management resources of the multibillion dollar operations of community business, industry, and…

Community partnerships serving young children and families take many forms. This article presents six community partnerships that are engaged in innovative and creative approaches to learning. These programs have varied goals, but they share a common focus on linking community resources to enhance learning opportunities for the children and…

Describes the large Asian Indian community of Northern California and observes how this relatively recent immigration has generated a rich and diverse array of organizations, business enterprises, and community events. Subcultural and transnational practices are discussed, as is the reformulation of India in the San Francisco Bay Area. (GR)

Under the Library Services and Construction Act, the InfoPeople project was created allowing 182 California public libraries to receive Internet workstations. This article discusses guidelines for grant application for this project, the relationship between participating libraries and their communities, workstation equipment, access to the…

This article looks closely at one instantiation of a poetry-centered practice as supported by June Jordan's Poetry for the People, specifically in the context of an inaugural poetry contest. It builds on an earlier empirical study, which investigated the partnership between Poetry for the People and one East Bay Area high school and the rich…

This book highlights existing successful partnerships between local educational agencies (LEAs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), identifying barriers to such partnerships and providing strategies for partnerships that prepare youths and adults for tomorrow's work force. In addition, the book provides ideas for school administrators about…

The publication was prepared as a statement on the position of the California State Department of Education pertaining to the concept of career education. Career education is conceptualized as the bridge to relevancy between education and work; it moves the school out of the ivory tower into interaction with the total community. The position paper…

An elementary school in a poor neighborhood in San Francisco has confronted the problem of at-risk students through the turnaround strategy of accelerated education. The Daniel Webster School and schools in Redwood City have used cooperative learning, parent and community involvement, and increased student expectations to challenge traditional…

A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Because community schools are premised on the comprehensive nature of student learning and development, they not only offer rigorous curriculum but also provide additional services, support, and opportunities for children, youth, their…