In the late-2000s, Washington, DC achieved national notoriety for its embrace of market accountability in public schools and support for a steadily expanding charter sector. At the same time, the DC government pursued a concerted effort to attract new residents and investment to the city, a project that bore fruit in the form of some of the…

Amid high teacher turnover in disenfranchised neighborhoods, teachers who were raised in, live in, and teach in these neighborhoods demonstrate unwavering commitment to their students. Eight teachers from a major metropolitan city in the United States participated in 45--60-minute platicas to discuss the joys, challenges, and needs of teaching in…

Examines links between community development and educational initiatives in improving the quality of life in America's most disadvantaged communities. Reviews community development and the education-restructuring movement, defines community development, discusses two theories undergirding the movement toward increased collaboration between…

Describes lifelong commitment of middle-school principal and major W.J. Jones to Coahoma, a small town in Mississippi Delta. Thanks to his efforts, town recently acquired a sewage system, blacktopped roads, and new housing (through Habitat for Humanity and World Vision). Although town elementary school fell victim to consolidation and children are…

Describes psychological consequences of life in urban neighborhoods. Offers three conceptual models that relate neighborhood physical, structural, and social characteristics to mental health outcomes. Contains 66 references. (MMU)

Building social capital for poor children is an important endeavor. Disadvantaged children generally lack a network that allows them to thrive in school and achieve a sense of belonging. Schools in impoverished neighborhoods can strengthen ties to students by building links to the community, becoming full-service community schools, and joining…

Describes a volunteer effort involving community church groups and secondary school children in an effort to provide a summer learning experience for children in public housing. Reviews advantages of the program and what can be learned from it. (TB)

A case study shows the slow process of rebuilding a community and how the community educator can facilitate internal growth and development. (Author/MLF)

The rediscovery of a role in extending social organization and bringing "order" to distressed neighborhoods has become an educational reform motif in the United States. A full-service school that links education and other support services can contribute to the social capital needed to improve children's learning. While it is a laudable…

The nature of youth gangs is explored, with suggestions for gang prevention and intervention. The emphasis is on organizing citizens, especially at the neighborhood level, to affect all community institutions. Suggestions are offered for citizens' groups to look at critical areas in schooling, incarceration, law enforcement, community programs,…

There are two contemporary urban reform thrusts working in parallel, one being the move toward coordinated children's services through the public schools (full-service schooling), and the other a press toward the economic and social regeneration of poor neighborhoods. The interest in a much-broadened mission for the public school (toward…

The case studies in this booklet highlight how five communities, in big cities and small towns, overcame the obstacles inherent in creating good new schools in existing neighborhoods. These studies illustrate the creativity that people across the United States have brought to the task of creating new schools in older neighborhoods. There is…

State-mandated reforms in educational practices, such as class-size reduction, have created the need for more and better educational facilities, but pressure from growth and poor planning decisions are stretching other forms of public infrastructure development to the limit and draining economic vitality from cities and towns. Current programs,…

This report provides a snapshot of school improvement efforts during early 2002 in several cities involved in "Making Connections," a demonstration project based on the premise that children do well when families do well, and families do better when they live in supportive neighborhoods. The project emphasizes three kinds of connections:…

In this interview, Reverend Floyd H. Flake, member, United States House of Representatives and Founder of the Allen Christian School, discusses how the school was started, and outlines its focus, goals, and values. The school was begun because black students do not seem to perform as well when they are being taught with white students. Rev. Flake,…