Private dance studios exist outside the scope of K-12 institutions in the United States and serve students within their local communities. Many of them strive to benefit underrepresented groups through community engagement initiatives. This mixed-method study scrutinizes the various community engagement practices of private dance studios through a…

The purpose of this work is to assist partners in identifying, naming, and facilitating dynamic relational forces and learning processes that shape the effectiveness of community engagement practice and partnerships. We offer a hypothetical case to assist in framing and discussing concepts of reciprocity and power in partnerships and how these…

Previous scholarship has outlined possible models of civics education but have neglected to provide frameworks for evaluation of the way such educative programs contribute to ongoing active citizenship amongst the participants. This paper explicates a framework that can be used to analyse how effectively programs are developing active citizenship…

This handbook was designed to assist advisory councils, program staff and administrators, and community members in planning community education programs and in managing those programs effectively. Chapter I defines and describes planning: what it is, why it is used, and how to engage in the process. The critical role of planning leaders is…

This provides board policy samples and other policy resources on advisory committees. The intent in providing policy samples is to encourage thinking in policy terms and to provide working papers that can be edited, modified, or adapted to meet local requirements. Topics covered in the samples include use of advisory committees as a means of…

This paper discusses the importance of generating more support for the public schools among nonparent taxpayers and offers numerous suggestions for communicating with nonparents and involving them in the schools. The author points out that only 26 percent of all homes have school-age children and argues that, although many schools do a good job of…

Guidelines are offered to help school districts obtain the same level of community involvement as was reached in Tucson (Arizona) by the schools' committee on district facilities utilization. (MLF)

Since 1978 federal legislation and regulations have required that Teacher Corps projects involve the participation of elected councils of at least seven members representative of the parents and other residents of the communities within the boundaries of the project schools. This booklet provides materials intended to assist in the organization…

After examining factors contributing to success and failure in the schools, the authors present a six-stage program for success--develop community-based goals, develop a district philosophy for implementing the goals, develop a framework of implementation policies, develop district-level learning objectives, develop instructional programs to…

This packet is designed to provide the basic tools for lawyers who may wish to bring suit in Federal court to compel the expenditure of Title I funds in a lawful manner. It covers (1) some general information on Title I purposes and procedures, (2) the requirements for information gathering and analysis, (3) a sample complaint, (4) a memorandum on…

This paper introduces the Connecticut Community Conversations project and discusses the origins of the partnership between Public Agenda and the Graustien Memorial Fund in Connecticut. It describes Public Agenda's model of community dialogue and engagement and how it was specifically applied in the project. It then looks closely at the experience…

To get full value from citizen advisory committees, school boards may use the following suggestions and guidelines. Be sure a lay citizen committee is needed before appointing one; provide specific responsibilities and duties; appoint the members to achieve balance according to sex, race, philosophy, and geography; use rotating terms; appoint the…

This workbook focuses on practical concerns that should engage the attention of boards of education and community groups in establishing new and more effective approaches to the selection of high quality supervisory staff for public schools. The report uses the position of principal to illustrate how a selection process might work. Most of the…

A citizen-based, long-range goal-setting program for future growth and development is documented in this report. The program spanned over two years in time, involved over 1,100 local citizens, and produced goals and policy guidelines for both the short- and long-range future of the city. The components of the process consisted of staff and support…

This handbook was written to demonstrate the procedure for setting up and running a citizen advisory council for vocational education programs. Organized into seven sections, the handbook provides information on the background and purposes of an advisory council, procedures for establishing a council, council operations, the council role, public…