Six school board members discuss the most crucial community relations problems facing their school system and what their school boards can and should do about them. (MF)

This review analyzes current literature dealing with the expectations and demands of the public for their schools. Particular attention is paid to research that assesses variations in public expectations and demands according to demographic and geographic settings, age, ethnic status, and socioeconomic status. A 65-item bibliography of recent…

A social and educational revolution is recasting the goals and function of schooling in the United States. Because of this, the persistent dilemmas of curriculum decision-making have become more urgent. The first dilemma deals with the problem of choosing between the virtues of community control and student-initiated curriculum making and the…

Superintendents' attitudes toward community participation in and control of curriculum issues in relation to the current demands for a broad base in school decision-making are examined. It is hypothesized that superintendents will differ in their attitudes on participation and control in four areas of school decision-making. Certain…

This second volume of a status report on citizen participation in educational decision-making considers in more detail a variety of channels for participation. In chapter 1, three examples of community councils illumine the importance of race, class, and economic factors in patterns of participation. Chapter 2 focuses on mandated school councils…

The impact of variables such as personal affiliation with a community program and degree of local autonomy on resident perspectives, specifically those pertaining to community feelings, issues of efficacy, and community control, are examined in order to provide the target populations attitudes and perceptions. This paper intends to demonstrate the…

This report explores the individual and social benefits of citizen participation in educational decision-making. This exploration combines democratic theory, historical and cultural determinants, practical experience and public opinion, and research and evaluation. Citizens participate politically in school affairs to effect changes in policy,…

The belief that structural change providing for the representation of minority parents in urban school districts would improve educational services for their children has led to an emphasis on school-system controlled or affiliated channels for participation. This emphasis, based on assumptions about parent participation in suburban districts, has…

The paper presents a detailed overview of educational policymaking and discusses the need for minority groups to be involved in policy formation. The first section describes the distinguishing characteristics of the main elements of the functions of administration and policymaking process. The second section examines the following three models of…