Many public issues are becoming more complex, interconnected, and cannot be resolved by one individual or entity. Research shows an informed decision is not enough. Addressing these issues requires authentic civic engagement (deliberative dialogue) with the public to reach resourceFULL™ decisions--a decision based on diverse sources of information…

Since 2014, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has partnered with the Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University (Gardner Center) to support OUSD's efforts to assess, enhance, and scale their community schools work. They began by working with the district to develop a System Strategy Map to articulate the district's…

Those who direct educational systems and institutions are losing public credibility. To reverse this trend educational planners must involve the public in educational decision-making. They can do this through the design and development of cooperative procedures for planning changes in education. (Author)

This booklet is the seventh in a series of eight that document the University of Nebraska-Lincoln/Lincoln Public School involvement in the Tenth-Cycle Teacher Corps Program. In addition to the five models discussed in other booklets (two through six) in the series, six other models were developed to aid in accomplishing the program goals. These…

Provides an analysis of the policy making process and examines various models and theories related to public and educational policy making. Minority writers have shown that in order for significant positive educational change to occur in minority communities there must be increases in the number of minorities in policy making positions.…

The adversary principle, as used in law proceedings for judging merits of cases involving opposing parties, is considered as an aid to educational evaluation and decision-making. Its use in education is suggested as an alternative way of interpreting, synthesizing, and reporting evidence. Potential uses discussed include 1) exploring values…

The cable television decision-making process in Cincinnati, Ohio between 1969 and 1974 was investigated in detail. Data were obtained primarily through a series of open-ended interviews with various decision-making praticipants, including members of a Task Force on Urban Cable Communications, members of the city council and municipal agencies,…

Intended as a simple, economical method of needs assessment, this model presents four primary tasks: goal definition, program assessment, needs identification, and decision-making. Each step is explained in detail and sample instruments, preplans, goals, and questionnaire items are given. The needs assessment concept is defined as a blending of…

The Judicial Evaluation Method (JEM) is useful for aiding decision-making bodies to formulate policies. Broad public participation in complex issues is provided by JEM. (The conceptualization, policy formulation stages, and participant roles are identified; and the model is applied in two case studies). (MH)

The concept of educational leadership in the black community has undergone some change since the advent of community control and decentralization. Educational administration must now encompass the social process of the local social system. In the Woodlawn locality of Chicago, (one of the ten poorest Chicago communities), the Woodlawn Experimental…

It is vital to include youth in national-service plans. Basic approaches include putting young people on the team; putting youth on the national-corporation board; getting administrators into national-service; creating youth forums; and letting young people make decisions. (SLD)

This paper reviews and discusses political models that bear on policy-making processes. The first part of the report deals with the merits of the "elitist" versus the "pluralistic" frameworks used to analyze the exercise of power in local communities. This review of the theories serves as a basis for a subsequent discussion of…

The concept of public marketing presents a strategy for the systems approach to community development that would facilitate the community decision making process via improved communication. Basic aspects of the social marketing process include: (1) product policy; (2) channels of distribution; (3) pricing (perceived price vs quality and quantity…

Intended as a simple, economical method of needs assessment, this needs-assessment model presents four primary tasks: goal definition, program assessment, needs identification, and decision-making. Each step is explained in detail with sample instruments, sample preplans, education goals, and a questionnaire. The needs-assessment concept is…

Gaming, an approach to problem solving that engages a real life situation, is a technique particularly appealing for design students because it permits learning about the process of change in a dynamic environment requiring periodic decisions. Two games about consensus decisions are discussed: KEEPS and Senior Center Game. (MLW)