Governing public schools is one of the most important responsibilities a citizen can undertake. School board members work on behalf of all the families in their community, with fellow board members and with other community partners, to ensure that each student has equal and ample opportunities to reach his or her greatest potential. This guide…

Place- and community-based education--an approach to teaching and learning that starts with the local--addresses two critical gaps in the experience of many children now growing up in the United States: contact with the natural world and contact with community. It offers a way to extend young people's attention beyond the classroom to the world as…

Poverty and unemployment aren't spread evenly across cities or regions, but rather are concentrated in disinvested urban neighborhoods and rural communities around the country. These communities are home to the nation's most vulnerable children and families. Despite some signs of improvement in economic conditions for families in the United…

Outlines the results of a survey of seven school dictricts whose tax referenda failed. Includes a list of 40 reasons why districts lose in tax votes. (MD)

Describes issues discussed at a national symposium held in January 1993, which led to the establishment of the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting in 1995. Outlines recommended budgeting practices at the state and local levels. One figure and a list of council member organizations are included. (LMI)

Notes that high school students have an incredible number of issues they must face daily. Contends that it is vital for a high school newspaper to find a balance between coverage of world events and local occurrences so that everything is relevant to high-school readers. Provides examples of eight high school newspapers' coverage of the 2003 war…

Three areas have become focal points in the restructuring movement: achievement, equity, and school-based governance. Restructuring efforts are initiated from four main sources--national and regional reform projects, state initiatives, district strategies, and individual school efforts. The Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools is…

Explores the benefits which local stations can derive from developing long-range plans, and offers some guidance on how local managers can go about the planning process. (Author)

This guide discusses city planning issues related to family day care zoning. The guide is divided into five sections. The first section discusses child care as a planning issue and focuses on changes in working patterns of families and in residential neighborhoods. The second section describes components of the child care delivery system, which…

Considers how the closure and consolidation of schools are seen by cash-strapped boards of education as means to save money. Addresses the same "seven red herrings" or arguments that are repeated loudly and angrily to officials as they go through the process of public consultation. (SG)

Notes four strategies that will almost certainly result in losing a school bond election, then discusses four strategies that increase the probability of passage. (SR)

This book of case studies highlights 26 municipalities involved in activities related to child care. Cities selected were of different sizes; were located in different parts of the country; and used diverse approaches for developing ways to improve access to affordable, high-quality child care. Each case study was developed through a telephone…

Part of a series on economic recovery strategies and techniques for assessing, managing, and mitigating the impacts of economic decline resulting from plant closures, substantial layoffs, or plant relocation, this paper presents a model local leaders can use to analyze, plan, and organize activities. As a means of illustrating the kinds of impacts…

Community decision makers selecting an economic development strategy most appropriate for their local community must begin with an understanding of how their local economy functions, what its economic base is, and how changes in that base may affect local economic structure and performance. The economic base approach emphasizes the roles of…

As an outgrowth of work to establish collaborative relations and to develop strategies for creating, monitoring, evaluating, and improving community programs, this planning guide has been developed to help Urban League chapters and others plan and implement programs for local needs. The guide is organized into the following nine steps: (1) build…