PATCH (Planned Approach to Community Health), a cooperative program of technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control, strengthens state and local health departments' capacities to plan, implement, and evaluate community-based health promotion activities for priority health problems. The article describes its origin, concepts, and…

Describes how the Linda Vista branch of the San Diego Public Library (California) developed services for three Asian American constituencies--Vietnamese, Lao, and Hmong. Topics addressed include bilingual library assistants; getting to know the community; coalitions with business and religious leaders; special programming; and collection…

A rural school-community council identified local risk factors for youth substance abuse, selected prevention strategies related to the risks, and developed objectives and evaluation processes. Community members were presented with the plan and formed a committee to begin implementation. (LP)

Educators have forsaken public education's goals and their responsibility to parents and the community by substituting standardized test scores, college entrance requirements, varsity sports, and academic competition for helping young people prepare for life. Schools must involve the community in helping all students learn major life roles,…

Illegal parking in spaces reserved for people with physical disabilities was examined across three conditions: a vertical sign alone or in combination with a message sign announcing public surveillance or a message device dispensing reminder notes and announcing community involvement. Messages increasing expectation of negative social consequences…

Provides highlights from the National Commission on Children's 1990 final report. Recommendations address such issues as ensuring income security, improving children's health, increasing educational achievement, preparing adolescents for adulthood, supporting families, protecting vulnerable children and their families, and making policies and…

After previous reform attempts failed, the radical restructuring of the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools in 1988 has brought empowered principals, councils for shared power, and increased minority involvement in school governance. However, many participants cite various problems. Never the less, the reform effort has brought the Chicago community…

To build a multicultural society, the most important steps are made in the classroom. School expands the child's world, but schools cannot educate or prepare children for the multicultural twenty-first century without involving parents and communities. Teachers, parents, and citizens must engage in learning together. (SLD)

Examination of school-improvement efforts at small-town New England high school shows limits of effective leadership, site-based management, and curricular innovations as improvement agents. Efforts are doomed without community consensus about reform goals and best ways to measure progress. Communities must synthesize information about academic,…

Presents observations and lessons drawn from two years of Kentucky school reform. Implementing the Kentucky School Reform Act of 1990 teaches that reforming schools also requires addressing the ways in which communities raise their children. Community work, with parent and student participation, improves family conditions and political decision…

Explores mentoring, and examines the gap between claims advanced for mentoring and actual experience. Mentoring at the present often suffers from fervor without infrastructure. Principles are given for building supportive infrastructure and creating environments rich in mentors that relieve a single person from the weight of super-mentoring. (SLD)

Describes a variety of writing activities and community service projects designed to develop middle school students' civic identity and pride in being citizens of the state of Kentucky. Includes teaching ideas and a project evaluation. (PRA)

Calls upon Canadian Aboriginal communities to take control of their children's education by breaking free of inappropriate Western educational practices; moving from rhetoric to action in the areas of native language instruction, outdoor learning, involvement of Elders, and parent participation; and developing community-based evaluations of…

After-school programs provide youngsters with supervision, enriching experiences, and learning opportunities. Effective programs address children's academic, recreational, and cultural needs. Planners must train staff, volunteers, and administrators; create a structured academic program; align curricula; involve families and communities; evaluate…

Summarizes a schoolwide unit, organized around the ballad of John Henry, that integrated visual art, music, dance, and drama with ecological issues, Mountain Cultural heritage, and labor history. Gives background information on the Mountain Culture and the story of John Henry, while also discussing the students' reactions and interpretations…