A program to develop culturally appropriate child and family service standards in First Nations communities was evaluated. Process and outcome benefits were achieved through multiple focus group interviews and using a feedback and data consultation stage to involve community residents. (SLD)

A new high school in Gaylord, Michigan, is a focal point for community involvement and activity. The 550-seat auditorium had community input in the design stage, and classrooms were designed to accommodate community use. Other uses of the school include a licensed day-care center, adult education classes, and higher education programs. (MLF)

A discussion of community service education examines whether or not the background or characteristics of college students working in local programs influences program progress and success. It is concluded that students rarely come from the communities they serve, and that a more important factor is the kind and scope of preparation they are given…

A plan adopted in 1992 by Findlay Township in rural Pennsylvania protects undeveloped land from urbanization and expanded and improved the township's park and recreational system. Improvements included a fitness trail, a pavilion, a handicap-accessible jungle gym, tennis and volleyball courts, restrooms, and flower beds and trees. (LP)

Describes the purposes and missions of the Partnership for Access to Higher Mathematics (PATH) Project. Focuses on the degree to which the projects' goals were achieved in an eighth- grade mathematics program. Provides demographic data and the results of statistical analyses used to determine the effectiveness of the project, and concludes with…

The author arrived at the Delta Principals Institute with low expectations and the same obstacles facing other principals from poverty-stricken areas: poor student achievement, staff apathy, lack of parental support, superannuated curricula, and poor community support. There he learned how to overcome these obstacles by using a more participative…

Since the late 1980s, a network of community museums has spread throughout Oaxaca (Mexico), serving as an autonomous force for broad-based cultural development, supporting the maintenance and revitalization of local Indigenous cultures, countering Western cultural hegemony, and involving Indigenous communities in museum development and related…

In Northern Territory (Australia), a small, remote, rural school serving Aboriginal students increased parent and community involvement, resulting in improved student achievement. Community members helped to develop culturally relevant, bilingual materials, drawing on financial support from the national Aboriginal Student Support and Parental…

Describes methodologies used successfully to engage the Roma community in Central and Eastern European schools. Notes that the goals of the project were to identify Roma children who were misplaced in special education schools, improve their academic skills, and integrate them back into the mainstream. Notes one of the methodologies used to engage…

The goal of Chattanooga's Family Resource Center is to support and strengthen families in ways that enhance their growth and well-being. Through collaboration with other service agencies, the center establishes services and programs geared toward adult literacy, parenting education, cultural awareness, community involvement, and information and…

The executive director of Public Agenda describes the seven-stage journey toward public consensus, underlines the importance of genuine public involvement, and provides some common-sense principles to guide those seeking to foster public engagement. Reform-minded educators should listen carefully, create an ongoing process, seek diverse…

Reviews "Education and Democratic Theory: Finding a Place for Community Participation in Public School Reform" (A. Belden Fields and Walter Feinberg) and "The Color of School Reform: Race, Politics, and the Challenge of Urban Education" (J. Henig, R. Hula, M. Orr, and D. Pedescleaux). Both books examine the political aspects of…

Describes current changes in rural transportation services. Describes general thrust of innovative efforts to provide rural passenger transportation despite declining resources. Describes public-private transportation cooperation, human-service agency coordination, linking state and local bus services, mixed passenger-package functions, community…

Describes dancer Katherine Dunham's philosophical system and her application of the "Dunham technique" in the Children's Workshop of the Katherine Dunham Museum in East St. Louis (Illinois). Contends that Dunham incorporates rites of passage to transform the lives of participants through intense involvement in art as a way of life. (AF)

This essay considers the worsening plight of the American family from the perspective of major social-structural dynamics, such as decline of community, corporate-induced consumerism, invasion of professionals into family life, etc. Proposed is an invigorated vision of community life and the supportive political-economic conditions that can…