The Policy Practice in Field Initiative was created to seed innovation and develop new models for an integrated approach to enhance the policy skill set of all social work students regardless of specialization. Funds provided to the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) are regranted to schools and programs of social work for field placement and…

Engaging communities through research-based participatory evaluation and learning methods can be rewarding for both a community and Extension. A case study of a community tourism development program evaluation shows how participatory evaluation and learning can be mutually reinforcing activities. Many communities value the opportunity to reflect…

Policy, systems, and environmental change are now widely accepted as critical to sustaining improvements in community health. Evidence suggests that such systems-level change is most effective when driven by community-based partnerships. Yet, after more than three decades of building community-based partnership work, health inequities have…

A hallmark of Extension includes the involvement of stakeholders in research and program needs assessment, design, implementation, evaluation, and reporting. A data party can be used to enhance this stakeholder involvement specifically in data analysis. This type of event can not only increase client participation in Extension programming and…

This paper uses triangulation to assess key aspects of a team-based, participatory action research programme for undergraduates in rural communities across northern Ghana. The perceptions of the programme and its effects on the students, staff and host communities are compared, showing areas of agreement and disagreement. The successes of the…

The Learning Partnership (TLP) initiated a Family and Community Engagement Strategy (FACES) initiative in three Ontario communities to foster active and responsive relationships among community partners and enhanced family engagement in transitions to school. A case study research design, grounded in participatory action research, was used to…

It is widely acknowledged that sustainable development is a long-term goal, which both individuals and institutions (and countries!) need to pursue. This important theme is characterized by an intrinsic complexity, since it encompasses ecological or environmental considerations on the one hand, and economic matters, social influences and political…

The Arizona Journey Schools Program (JSP) was a two-year professional development experience whose stated purpose was to build the leadership capacity of school/community teams and establish a network of professionals to support teams as they bring about systemic change in mathematics and science teaching, learning, and assessment. This report…

Schoolyard ecosystem programs, such as mini-farms, gardens, or nature trails on school grounds, are usually designed to promote greater insight and understanding of ecological relationships and develop an appreciation of an individual's responsibility for environmental quality. This paper focuses on evaluation practices of schoolyard habitat…

The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a comprehensive job training model that will increase the self-determination and integrated community employment of youth and young adults with serious mental illness or emotional disturbance. Project objectives are to (1) promote interagency collaboration and coordination; (2) increase…

The two monographs contained in this volume are concerned with analyzing the consequences of policy choices affecting the interrelationships between schools and their environments. The first study, "The Relationship between the School and the Community," shows that the character of school-community relationships varies systematically on…

This research report evaluates a 2-year effort to achieve home-school partnerships and success for all children at two urban schools: P.S. 111 in New York City and the Ellis School in Boston. As conceptualized by the Institute for Responsive Education staff, the process of achieving success for all children required the transformation of school…

A case study in career advancement in the community action agency in Suffolk County, New York, presents information on demography, economics, institutional resources, minority groups, political structure, funded programs, and the agency's background, as well as on the problems, objectives, benefits, activities, and strengths and weaknesses of the…

This study examines the circumstances under which a large urban school system opens the budget development process to the input of citizens groups and the difficulties involved in this effort. The scope of the study is limited to the analysis of the 1977 Budget Task Force (BTF) of the Philadelphia School District and observations of the…

This volume contains a series of 24 case studies designed to be utilized in the training of community educators. The cases presented in this book are taken by the authors from real situations in real schools. Study questions intended to encourage trainees to improve their decision-making skills are included at the end of each case history. Topics…