Preconceived expectations for one's behavior drive how people interact with their communities. Messaging via pop culture is a common source for citizens to learn about one community engagement tool: compulsory volunteering. Compulsory volunteering, like court-ordered community service and school-based volunteering, provides an opportunity to learn…

In this paper, we show that the election of a new school board member causes home values in their neighborhood to rise. This increase is identified using narrowly-decided contests and is driven by non-Democratic members, whose neighborhoods appreciate about 4% on average relative to those of losing candidates. We find that student test scores in…

This study sought to expand Greenleaf's (1970) "feeling that one wants to serve" to examine public service motivation and professional commitment in an education context. The participants of this study were graduate education students enrolled in three East Coast universities. The sample was stratified into three groups based on their…

In recent years, visual records have come to be seen as important sources of information in the study of education and its history. However, most of the images used in this way simply provide a glimpse--though admittedly a precise one--of only one moment in the educational process. Graphic verisimilitude is not only to be found in these images; it…

Graduates of the John Stanford Public Service and Political Science Academy at Franklin High School in Seattle, Washington, leave school with self-confidence and a fiery sense of civic duty, giving back to their communities in crucial ways. Students tackle civic and ethical issues daily in the classroom, and the service-learning projects they…

While 2009 presented serious economic challenges for this nation, and particularly for the low-income communities Teach for America serves, the year also presented new opportunities. The depressed economy forced school districts to cut hiring and struck at each of Teach For America's funding streams, but with the continued enthusiasm for public…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about programs and goals of…

The hunger for significance in life never ends. What changes in one's retirement is how one fills that need. For most school administrators, introspection and investigation into possibilities for post-retirement years begin prior to one's resignation; however, the intensity of thought, feeling, and deliberation moves to a much higher plane once…

This historic case study addressed the issue of the lack of citizen action toward environmentally responsible behavior. Although there have been studies regarding components of environmental responsible behavior [ERB], there has been little focus on historic models of exemplary figures of ERB. This study examined one of the first conservation…

Introduces this special issue of the Bulletin by stressing the cooperative relationship that needs to exist between public and private schools. (WD)

Describes the difficulties faced by AmeriCorps. The laws that govern this national service program have not been updated. Although the Bush administration is expected to increase the number of participants, the long-term health and effectiveness of the program will depend on whether Congress and the administration can agree on legislation to…

Presents 25 tips for connecting students with their community, including involving them with local business people, helping them interact with local senior citizens, familiarizing them with the newspaper and encouraging them to read it or write for it, making them aware of cultural events, and teaching them about civic responsibility by helping…

A Massachusetts school board member's travels with Global Volunteers have provided an opportunity to see how people of different cultures live and work. Global Volunteers is a nonprofit organization that sends small groups of volunteers to developing countries or to underprivileged areas in Mississippi and Texas to help local people with work…

Argues for more equitable and effective public funding of private schools serving the categorical needs of learners. (Author/WD)

Volunteers and other community-based assistants can relieve some of the financial burden brought on by school-budget cutbacks. This publication describes how enlisting the help of senior volunteers and workers benefits both children and seniors, and it presents some guidelines for implementation of intergeneration programs. The programs provide…