The Annenberg Rural Challenge is a national effort to revitalize rural communities and schools and their long-standing values of community, democracy, and care for the natural environment. This collection of five essays presents a number of themes that are central to the Rural Challenge's philosophy. "Bringing It All Back Home: Reclaiming the…

Aided by funding from public agencies, private foundations, and corporate giving, a previously neglected conservatory on Chicago's west side is introducing inner-city students to plants and nature through after school programs, summer day camps, and field trips. Community revitalization efforts include a demonstration garden and assistance with…

A significant theme in the literature on rural education is the extreme interdependence between rural schools and rural communities. Belief in this interdependence has led to a number of initiatives focused on strengthening both student learning and the local community's economic and social resources. Most of these initiatives involve some degree…

Available in English or Spanish, this resource guide aims to help rural schools and communities learn ways of supporting each other so that both can thrive. Background information and basic tools are provided for starting a joint school-community development effort. Chapters contain: (1) outline of the guide and statement of beliefs about…

This proceedings of a conference focusing on the school-community relationship contains eight papers. "A Changing Rural America: The Context for School/Community Development" compares community development with economic development and offers suggestions for rural schools to participate in community development. "Integrating the…

Explores issues related to expanding the roles of rural schools and youth in community development; summarizes literature related to community development and social capital; reports on how three rural Midwest communities built linkages between the school and community; reports on data from a symposium on community-based learning; and addresses…

Six case studies examine the connections between higher education institutions and schools that have chosen place-based education as a framework for student learning and community growth. Through such partnerships, Lubec (Maine) high school has established a vocational aquaculture program in an effort to revitalize the struggling local fishing…

Projects such as Education North, a pilot project for community involvement in education conducted by the Alberta government, can be successful in geographically and culturally isolated communities where social, cultural, and political conflicts affect education. Between 1979 and 1982, Education North operated local education societies in six…