"Grow Your Own Teachers" describes the evolution of a local school reform movement in Chicago that now serves as a model for change in schools and teacher preparation programs across the country. Grounded in the grassroots organizing tradition, the Grow Your Own (GYO) teacher initiative involves collaboration between community-based…

This idea book addresses key concepts in two earlier Peace Corps' publications, "Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) Manual" [ICE No. M0053], and the "Gender and Development Training Manual" [ICE No. M0054]. These previous resources were large training manuals that introduced PACA to staff and Volunteers in the context of the Peace…

In this article, the author describes the leadership class that she created for the family and consumer sciences (FCS) department. The class, "Family & Consumer Sciences Issues & Applications," focused on family and community action for improved quality of life. It included in-depth laboratory experiences, service learning activities, and the…

Across the country, cities and regions have used community-wide partnerships to improve the educational attainment of their citizens. The most established of these partnerships have seen substantial education gains during their tenure. The community of Louisville, Kentucky has embarked on a similar effort to improve educational attainment. Nearly…

This paper describes an education project to train religious leaders in Cleveland's inner city to become community advocates and change agents. Includes results of a followup survey of participants indicating how their acquired skills are benefitting the community. (SK)

Over the past four decades, Selena Robinson led struggles to integrate Brevard (North Carolina) High School, bring mail service and housing to Brevard's Black community, and retain the city's successful job training program. While raising 14 children, she worked as an outreach worker and organizer for Western Carolina Community Action, which…

Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) has worked for over ten years to improve educational opportunities in low-income neighborhoods in Oakland, California. The work of thousands of parent, teacher, youth, and community leaders has resulted in the formation of nearly fifty new small schools and more than ten charters, creating settings for…

A total of 165 community leaders over age 60 interned in congressional offices in a program that taught the participants their way around the federal government and its agencies. They were expected to become liaisons with their congressional offices and with government agencies and private organizations. Two interns are profiled. (MLW)

Community bilingual education, which utilizes the community's language for educational instruction and values the community culture, narrows the communication gap between the community and the educational institutions. Thus, in the spring of 1976, "Aztlan en Kansas: Asistencia Tecnologica" was initiated to provide technical assistance to…

Describes attitudes and strategies used by two small rural towns to foster economic development and improve local housing, schools, professional facilities, and recreational programs for youth and adults. Emphasizes individual leadership qualities useful in creating a vision for community survival, communicating the vision through town meetings,…

R. Benjamin Wiley has led the Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC) in Erie, Pennsylvania, since 1969, creating a wide range of human services programs. His passion for education is reflected in the GECAC Learning Center, which offers numerous training and educational programs for residents of all ages, and in the GECAC Community Charter…

Describes the energy conservation management communication network in the Northeast Georgia Area Planning and Development Commission, a ten-county regional planning agency. The authors state that the use of local citizens and community leaders in the energy conservation planning and program activities demonstrates adult education in action. (MF)

The fall 1987 Chicago (Illinois) teachers' strike, documentation of the systems' problems, a movement to return local control, a history of organizing, the fall 1986 Education Summit, and skepticism about the board's ability to engineer change led to the school system's restructuring through the Chicago Public Schools Reform Act. (JB)

Describes the organization and planning by labor unions, government agencies, and vocational educators from schools, colleges, institutes, and skill centers in Mansfield, Ohio to provide vocational counseling and retraining for more than 900 unemployed rubber workers. Includes information on other retraining programs and reflections on the need…

In today's wars, children are on the front lines. This handbook, the result of a meeting of psychologists and humanitarian workers, presents a strategy to meet the needs of children in war and refugee crises that intends to be cost-effective, empowering, and child-focused. The strategy emerged from field work based on the belief that each…