This article provides a preliminary report on the construct validity and internal consistency of the "Community Scale." The "Community Scale" was developed to acknowledge the perceptions of community members and to promote a student-led "School Community Partnership Process" within the larger context of school climate…

Background: School closure is one of the primary measures considered during severe influenza pandemics and other emergencies. However, prolonged school closures may cause unintended adverse consequences to schools, students, and their families. A better understanding of these consequences will inform prepandemic planning, and help public health…

This study explored how neighborhood social processes and resources, relevant to immigrant families and immigrant neighborhoods, contribute to young children's behavioral functioning and achievement across diverse racial/ethnic groups. Data were drawn from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, a neighborhood-based,…

Although researchers recognize that social contexts shape parenting behaviors, the relationship between neighborhood environment and parenting remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we investigated the associations between compositional and contextual (structural, social, and safety) characteristics of neighborhoods and parental warmth.…

By means of a qualitative research method known as folknography, a concerted effort was made to discern perceptions of math and math education in the rural Midwest. A community that will be referred to as Midville, located in the state of Illinois, was chosen as the target population for this study. The community and surrounding region stands over…

Research Findings: Using data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, this article relates neighborhood characteristics to the type of child care used in families with toddlers and preschoolers (N = 1,121; representative of children in Chicago in 1996-1998). Neighborhood structural disadvantage was assessed via U.S. Census…

Five methods for determining the needs and aspirations of the total library community (library personnel, library affiliates, and general population) in Illinois are presented in this report, and the use of three of them for a 3-phase study is outlined: (1) survey of the literature (documentary research and secondary data collection and analysis);…

When results of a county-wide questionnaire indicated specific needs, the Home Economics Extension Service set up a variety of programs to provide information and service. (SP)

This paper presents the results of a series of surveys designed to determine the attitudes of parents of school-aged children and other adults toward schools and their children's future, with a view toward offering encouragement to beginning teachers. Cross sections of the population were sampled nationwide, throughout the state of Illinois, and…

This report presents the results of a collaborative study undertaken by five rural, unit school districts in Illinois to provide data to be used in planning for school improvement. Information was gathered from on-site visits by teams of constituents from other districts and through a survey of perceptions of local community persons regarding…

The study examines the issue of wife abuse in a rural area, assesses major service interventions suggested by the literature, and evaluates their practicality in rural areas. The area used for the study was the 10 rural and most southern counties in Southern Illinois, characterized by high unemployment and low per capita income. A questionnaire…

A PRELIMINARY STEP IN THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING ROCK VALLEY COLLEGE IN ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, WAS THE COMPLETION OF A FEASIBILITY STUDY IN THE COMMUNITIES TO BE SERVED BY THE COLLEGE. THE REPORT WAS PREPARED IN 10 PARTS--(1) GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF JUNIOR COLLEGES, (2) AREA POPULATION AND ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS, (3) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND…

In March 1973, a door-to-door District census was directed by the Olympia Title III, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Project Office (Illinois). Assisted by the Olympia Citizens Advisory Council and over 300 volunteers, the ESEA Office obtained population data from the census for the rural area. At the same time, a questionnaire to…

Information about how Arcola citizens felt about their public education system was obtained through phone interviews with 271 adults. Arcola was chosen because its small population (2,600 residents), its concern for the quality of education, and its economic base (farming) made it typical of a rural community in central and southern Illinois.…

Based on the philosophy that the public library should be an integral part of the community it serves, a lively center of ideas and activities, and that it should know the community's people and groups thoroughly in order to understand its needs, this booklet has been prepared as an introduction for trustees, staff members, and lay leaders to the…