UNESCO established the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) to encourage the development of learning cities. By providing technical support, capacity development, and a platform where members can share ideas on policies and best practice, this international exchange network helps urban communities create thriving learning cities. The…

Communities of practice (COPs) are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better through interacting with one another (Wenger 1998). Communities of practice have enormous potential to support and sustain quality care and education within a community and, in fact, are doing so. Businesses and…

This paper presents a picture of risk and challenge for youth in distressed communities and outlines how these communities can band together to create a continuum of supportive activities to bolster youth's success in school and life. As youth grow and develop, individualized support and exposure to new experiences has a significant impact on…

Describes the use of a public opinion research study to repair relationships at Mary Washington College (Virginia). Also offers case studies of how "town-gown" relations were fostered at four other higher education institutions and their local communities: Beloit College (Wisconsin); Oglala Lakota College (South Dakota); Midwestern State…

This article examines ways in which entities external to schools, in this case for-profit educational management organizations (EMOs), can influence development of school professional community. Drawing on case studies of six charter schools operated by three EMOs, we examine the five elements of professional community described by Kruse, Louis,…

Community organization is a method of social intervention in which individuals, groups, and agencies plan actions which are intended to alleviate social problems. It is concerned with the education, development, and/or change of social institutions. This approach involves two processes: community planning and coordination. The general nature and…

This article provides an opportunity to extend the discussion about teacher communities as part of complex school reform models, specifically centered on those communities whose membership is drawn on a semi-voluntary basis. Through a sixteen-month long ethnography, I document the activities of an urban teacher professional community (TPC) at a…

Based on a survey of 37 colleges, this booklet provides a summary of the characteristics of special community college centers that contract educational services to business, industry, government, and other groups in the local community. Following background information on the development and uses of the booklet and its special relevance to energy…

Reports on a case study of a rural school district in the U.S. northwest that coped with declining school population and loss of revenues because of closure of mining operations during the 1980s. The report analyzes the problem-solving and decision-making activities which encouraged grass-roots leadership and community cooperation. (SM)

This publication describes efforts in the United Kingdom (UK) to develop mutually beneficial, collaborative partnerships between businesses and communities that promote digital inclusion (access to information and communication technologies). Case studies of different kinds of relationships are listed, including UK online centers, schools, events…

This volume contains descriptions of five community work education councils that have broadened their agendas from a focus on youth issues to include serving adult learners by improving adults' access to education and training and by improving the articulation between work and learning institutions that serve adults in the community. Included in…

Demographic changes are causing leaders in education, business and civic affairs to address new questions about racial and ethnic diversity. What opportunities does diversity provide? What difficulties does it create? What changes are needed in the ways that people look at problems, define solutions and do the everyday business of their lives? The…

Efforts to integrate the delivery of human service programs (HSP) in Colorado's El Paso County and Mesa County were examined through site visits and meetings with 34 members of HSP staff in both counties. The site visits confirmed that staff and management of HSP in both counties have implemented a series of client-centered processes to provide…