During the mid-1960s, the War on Poverty ushered in a change in outlook on the poor and stimulated Neighborhood House (a social service agency that began as a settlement house) to focus on educative, community-building initiatives. Yet ironically, while staffers offered educational programs for residents, they were themselves becoming educated.…

In the winter of 2009, with more than 1.4 million job losses in the first two months of the year, the federal government passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law as a way to quickly inject liquidity into a stalling economy and maintain critical services that would allow individuals and communities to survive through the…

The Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 represents recent congressional action designed to improve the housing and living conditions of the nation's poor. Like the 1974 act, the older Federal model cities program (1968-72) was designed to benefit low and moderate income families, provide alternative uses for available funds, and allow…

The primary objective of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 is the development of viable urban communities, including decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities. This report focuses on the attempts of Livonia, Michigan, to obtain funds under the act. Examined are the areas of citizen…

As the first awardees in the Student Community Service (SCS) program conclude their third and final year of funding and as SCS becomes an established part of ACTION's system of volunteer opportunities, it seems a proper time to evaluate the program. This evaluation examines whether the SCS has made a difference in the host communities served, and…

The Model Cities Program is discussed in this report in terms of neighborhood revitalization, citizen participation, and funding. The effects of the program, as a Federal intervention in the social, political and economic problems of the urban poor, are described. The operational effectiveness of the program's participatory mechanisms designed to…

Bintang Anda (Your Star) is not a single game, but is rather a format for a family of simulation games which was developed in 1975 when the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture began a search for innovations in educational technology that could be applied to problems of rural development. Indonesia's development goals emphasize improvement…

Case studies of local development projects in Scotland, Norway, Australia, and the United States (Minnesota) indicate that federal education programs of a "generative" nature (those linking educational improvement to other improvement efforts, emphasizing process, and stimulating grass-roots participation) are most likely to promote…