South Africa's democratic state has been clouded by various social and economic ills like joblessness, skills shortage, poverty and crime. These are a result of various complex issues which include the apartheid legacy, misdirected education system and poor planning for long term national priorities. This article looks at the lost opportunities to…

Reviews themes developed in the literature on urban-rural migration and articulates emerging research questions that relate to the concept of quality of life. Addresses the implications of quality of life considerations for the decision making of urban-to-rural migrants. Explores changes produced by migration-induced population growth in rural…

Intended as a tool for non-formal education practitioners and researchers in identifying a range of relatively fugitive material, this bibliography includes 1,779 references to descriptive and analytical materials concerning the use of the performing arts as a medium for education and social change in the Third World. An introductory essay offers…

This book highlights the community building experience at Maricopa Community College District (MCCD) in Arizona. Sixty-five percent of upper division transfers at Arizona State University come from MCCD, and 80% of The University of Phoenix's graduates have done a major portion of their lower division work at MCCD. At any given time, 50 to 60…

Discusses implications of population turnaround, reverse migration for societal polarization, human resources based economy, and rural/urban segmentation on the new socioeconomic role of rural areas. Identifies an interrelated public policy model composed of local community, human resources, technical inputs, and integrating institutions to…

Participants in the Second Eastern Hemisphere Seminar (held at Salisbury, Zimbabwe in 1981) discussed topics related to the theme of integrated and early childhood education. The seminar was organized into plenary and small group discussions centered on four sub-topics of the broad theme: (1) Early Childhood Education: The Community Dimension; (2)…

The purpose of this monograph is to provide guidelines for planners who are working with current problems in nonformal education. A typology proposed defines nonformal education as ranging from those activities organized outside the formal system to those in which nonformal education is part of the educational system. An overview is given of the…

Reviews socioeconomic impacts of rapid growth on rural areas in the western United States. Concludes that costs of development exceed benefits for some groups. Calls for research and policy initiatives to identify appropriate strategies to manage the growth and decline which are characteristic of changing rural areas. (LFL)

This paper analyzes principles of knowledge diffusion and provides a framework for applying new ideas or innovations, particularly in relation to rural community development. As new knowledge is created or old knowledge is found to have new applications, the art of spreading knowledge and managing innovation has become more crucial in both urban…

Draws on evidence concerning rural population, families, schools, churches, and communities to conclude that the conceptualization of rural as "different from urban" has no contemporary empirical support and that differences among rural areas are greater than rural-urban differences. Offers suggestions for refocusing social work practice on the…

The twelfth in a series of research reviews investigating adult education in Great Britain, this paper focuses on adult education activities in local geographic areas and on the concept of "community" and its enhancement of adult education services. After part 1 summarizes the other reviews in the series, part 2 discusses the role of…

This chapter addresses the role of action research in projects that link literacy education and cultural action in peripheral rural areas. These programs aim to improve the living conditions of a population without destroying its cultural heritage or way of life. Action research begins with three broad questions: In what terms do local people pose…

A paper examining recent changes in the social and economic development of rural America--with comments by a different author--and a paper discussing rural policy comprise this workshop collection. Placing the changes of the 1970s in a broader historical perspective and developing a general framework within which to consider the influence of…

This document, which is based on information gathered during a 1998 study of how study circle programs contribute to community problem solving, presents best practices for producing community-wide study circles. The best practices are illustrated through stories that are grouped into five sections on the following themes: (1) creating a…

Higher education's relationship with and contribution to the public good emerged as a trend in the higher education literature in 1996. Three major themes are represented: the role of higher education, public relations, and collaboration. The literature and research continue to illustrate the valuable role of higher education in the important…