Addresses three questions: (1) what individual paths lead selected nonmainstream writers from the "Tenderloin" inner-city area of San Francisco to their craft; (2) how the contexts and relationships with the community support the growth of written expression; and (3) how this support affects individual and community growth. (MG)

Reviews federal urban aid programs from the 1940s to the present. Maintains that federal redistribution programs fail to compensate for the effects of economic rivalry among cities and regions. Discusses several alternatives to current policy. (DM)

New government-funded training initiatives in Britain emphasize urban community capacity building and empowerment. However, lack of opportunities, especially for ethnic minorities, and the politics involved in applying for these funds pose challenges. (SK)

This report from the Illinois Caucus on Teenage Pregnancy concerns the plight of an estimated 7,000 homeless teenagers in the state who are either pregnant or are teenage mothers. The scope of the homeless youth problem in Illinois is defined in the introduction. A section on dimensions of need focuses on the "feminization of…

The people of Boston made a commitment that no homeless person will be denied a bed, a meal, quality health care, and transportation to shelter during the winter of 1989-90. This commitment was difficult to fulfill due to a decline in services for the mentally ill, federal housing cutbacks, and an increase in the number of families living in…

The supervisor of Parent Education in Cincinnati describes the lay leadership training program organized to train leaders in parent study-discussion groups. Comments are directed toward the program's growth, purposes, and success. (AG)

Teacher dissatisfaction with the existing math testing program in the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) led to the establishment of the Committee on Citywide Mathematics Testing. The committee was formed to identify tests to be used, grade levels to be tested, and testing schedules. The committee recommended that tests be given in the spring…

Guidelines are presented for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City-Wide Testing Program. They involve the preparation of pupils for the Administration of the tests, preparation of teachers for administering the tests, some acceptable and unacceptable practices, use and dissemination of test results, and security concerns related to the testing…

A survey of 30 major U.S. cities indicates a decline in the share of tax dollars for leisure services in the period 1964-74 in nineteen cities and a rise in priority status in eight. Alternate sources of potential funds are investigated. (MJB)

The author describes the experience-based urban Vocational Horticulture Project sponsored by the Central Diesel School of Brooklyn, New York, and involving the National Park Service and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service. The program prepares minority youth for entry-level employment in ornamental horticulture or in forestry and wildlife…

Describes the Association of Finnish Cities and Towns as an organization that enhances the cooperation and administration of municipal matters, including adult education, in the cities and boroughs of Finland. (GB)

This is a report of an urbanization program for rural Columbians who migrate to the cities. Projects are described which are intended to improve employment opportunities and the organization of marketing systems. (SA)

Challenging the assumptions, concepts, and standards used to plan urban recreational programs is the key to their survival. They must, in the future, cater to a variety of personal interests and age groups and be designed in such a way as to provide maximum access to all citizens. (CJ)

Describes the endeavor by the Chinese Communist Party to construct a community-based, urban welfare system that would cater to the needs of urban dwellers who were not under the protection of the workers' social assistance system or whose needs could not be met entirely by it. (CT)