Chronic school absenteeism has been identified as a precursor to undesirable outcomes in adolescence, including academic failure, school dropout, and juvenile delinquency. In spite of its effect on adolescent functioning, little research has been conducted to identify effective methods of truancy reduction, particularly among elementary-aged…

The Roundtable on Comprehensive Community Initiatives for Children and Families is a forum in which persons involved in the current generation of community-based cross-systems can engage in discussion about their work. Roundtable members, now numbering 30, meet biannually to share lessons they are learning and to work on common problems they face.…

This chapter describes the history and demise of the service-learning component of a teacher education program. Beginning in 1968, service learning was a self-directed, community-based program within the student-teaching practicum at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. Students were responsible for matching their learning needs with placement…

This document presents a set of ten steps that can be used by a wide range of concerned people to mobilize a community to solve problems connected with the growing population of underachieving minority youth. Step I, "The Initiation," outlines how to develop a coalition to assure a strong foundation for mobilization efforts. Step II,…

This fourth volume of a four-volume evaluation of the 1988-89 New York City School Community Education Program (also known as the Umbrella Program) comprises reports evaluating six innovative projects that offered a variety of educational experiences to participants. Three of these projects were designed for prekindergarten children; the other…

This pamphlet suggests what to evaluate in a school-business partnership, how to evaluate it, and how to determine whether a partnership has made a difference. The section called "Why Evaluate?" lists six questions to which evaluation frequently yields the answers. The next section explains the purpose of four steps in preparing to evaluate…

A Michigan program provides a taste of college for people who have wanted to continue their education but have been fearful of trying. (Editor)

The final report of a 3-year project designed to educate the community and train personnel in child abuse detection and treatment planning provides a chronological review of the project and a discussion of evaluation findings. The bulk of the document is composed of nine appendixes, including discussions of seven program components: training and…

Current approaches to need assessment belong to one of three theoretical orientations: the rationalistic perspective in which need is predicated on the existence of some pathology or deviance from the rational ideal; (2) the empirical position where need is conceived as deviance from a normative or observed state of good health and well-being; and…

Discussed are practical factors involved in planning and carrying out child abuse and neglect treatment programs. It is explained that the information is based on the experience of 11 demonstration projects in 10 states. Chapter 1 details planning theories and offers a model for program planning. Chapter 2 is designed to inform planners of typical…

This book will help elementary and secondary teachers make community involvement part of their legal education program. The authors believe that the active involvement of lawyers, police and probation officers, judges, and others from the community is an excellent way of making legal education real to students. There are five major sections to the…

This final report describes a project in Oklahoma which tried to increase students' and the general public's awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the cultures of the world. In the project's first phase, 38 school districts and higher education institutions located throughout the state were surveyed to determine the need in the areas of…

This handbook uses a Title IX Ethnic Heritage Studies Project conducted in Illinois as a model for suggesting methods and approaches that might be used by school personnel in introducing multicultural studies to a school community setting. Specific strategies are outlined and described for the following areas: (1) funding; (2) staff training; (3)…

This three year demonstration of a mental health program developed by the Bradley Center in Columbus, Georgia, centered on the training of physicians and ministers in standardized methods of managing emotional and social problems of patients and parishioners seeking help. Involved was the challenge of entering two Georgia Communities and obtaining…

Brief descriptions of 7 programs specifically designed to alleviate programs were considered exemplary innovative activities, as defined by the U. S. Office of Education in the migrant evaluation format, and had not been previously tried within the State of Wisconsin. General program effectiveness (statewide) is described, including cooperative…