While active citizenship education programs are assumed to have positive benefits for the active citizenship practice of participants (UNESCO, 2009, p. 4), there is actually little evidence that programs do (de Weerd, Gemmeke, Rigter & van Riji, 2005, p. vii). This paper discusses a research project that aimed to determine and increase the…

Today, the U.S. Department of Education joins the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement, the American Commonwealth Partnership, and the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools in a new national call to action to infuse and enhance civic learning and democratic engagement for all students throughout the American…

The philosophy of, and approach to, national socioeconomic development planning are discussed in this second annual report and review of the Canadian Council on Rural Development. The first chapter seeks to define essential elements of the question of development (1) by describing in broad terms some socioeconomic disparities which exist within…

The purpose of this paper is to resolve what determines the success or failure of innovations in participatory government; and, more precisely what are the dynamics of institution-building by which the ideas of participation and decentralization are implemented and enduring neighborhood institutions are established. To answer these questions, a…

Divided into two areas of emphasis, this paper explores the potential of non-formal education in developing countries and non-formal education as it relates to the Dominican Republic. The first section presents background material on non-formal education and discusses types of programs being applied in a number of countries throughout the world.…

This paper proposes particular areas in which research is needed within the fields of community organization and community development. Proposals are based on field research and findings of a two year (1977-79) Community Citizen Organization Study. The report is organized according to the four major categories of analysis in this original…

A qualitative study examined how formal and informal social and cultural learning for political action was incorporated into two women's organizations in Colombia: the Association of Daycare Mothers and the Community Mothers. Research was guided by the historic hermeneutic method, which identifies experience through the narrative testimonies of…

Describes the formation of local organizations for adult and literacy education created all over Portugal after the end of the fascist regime in 1974, the coordination and certification plan of the Ministry of Education's Division of Continuing Education, and the ensuing legal status of the local "popular" educational associations. (MF)

General objective of the workshop was to provide a forum for Asian rural leaders in which they could discern the significance and implication of crucial processes by which human potentialities are harnessed for the integral growth of rural peoples and communities. The central question addressed was how to combine economic growth with social…

This report discusses trends affecting the future of rural development in Kentucky and describes strategies for leveraging more positive outcomes for rural communities. In addition to the enduring legacies of rural poverty, inadequate infrastructure, low educational attainment, and joblessness, contemporary rural Kentucky is also characterized by…

In an attempt to reveal the many external influences (e.g., economic, social, and spiritual) affecting a rural community and to bring about understanding of the evolving complex society of the rural-urban community brought about by advanced technology, the American Country Life Association's annual conference dealt with some of the parameters…

In Canada and elsewhere, the shift from more horizontal models of governance and toward a more organized, diverse, and empowered civil society has sparked renewed interest in citizen involvement. The various dimensions of citizen involvement in policy processes are as follows: (1) mobilizing interest; (2) claims making; (3) knowledge acquisition;…

This compilation of articles presents the views of policy makers and administrators about community education. Following the introduction by Larry Decker titled "Community Education: The Basic Tenets," the articles are contained in three sections. Section 1 (The Potential of Community Education) contains articles titled as follows: "Tomorrow's…