Describes service-learning program with opportunities for students to make a difference. Notes four core areas of the service-learning model: (1) preparation, including identifying, choosing and planning activities; (2) action; (3) reflection, both individual and group; and (4) recognition, both individual and group. (LBT)

This article describes using service learning to provide inclusive community-based instruction and functional skills training to students with disabilities. The history of service learning, types of service, and components of service learning are addressed, and a case study of service learning in an inclusive classroom is provided. (Author/CR)

Describes the goals and service components of Educare, a collaborative community project in southeast Missouri since 1995, to enhance school readiness of children from birth to 3 years from low-income families. Discusses working with families, community agencies and local services, and early childhood professionals. Also explores…

Describes changes in the construction, renovation, and utilization of school buildings to accommodate several new trends in education: Technological intervention, specialized facilities, schools as the center of the community, instructional areas, unneeded excess space, leases, and build-to-suit. (PKP)

Examines role of community in school-based school, family, and community partnerships. Presents a definition of school- community collaboration, identifies gaps in current knowledge, and analyzes survey data to learn more about types of community partners and the challenges schools face in developing partnerships. Discusses steps needed in…

The Healthy Nations initiative supported 14 American Indian and Alaska Native communities in their efforts to reduce the harm done by drug and alcohol abuse. Three programs in Pueblo, Navajo, Apache, and Alaskan communities are described, that entail community organizing, youth recreational activities, indigenous role models, adventure activities,…

Direct care staff (n=83) from five community services serving individuals with mental retardation completed a questionnaire on their emotional reactions to aggression, coping strategies, and burnout. Staff more frequently reported using adaptive strategies than maladaptive ones. Staff disengagement, adaptive coping strategies, and their emotional…

This article serves as an introduction to the special issue and to the emerging topic of intergenerational relationships and partnerships in community programs. Our aim is to offer a frame in which to consider theory and practice on the topic. Toward that end, we focus on the multiple purposes of intergenerational relationships, adult strategies…

The immediate and long-term effects of a Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) derived program offered at a Kaiser Permanente facility were evaluated. There were 73 participants in the initial sample and 23 in the 5-6 year follow-up sample. Child behaviors improved significantly immediately following treatment and some improvements were…

This article describes a framework for assessing the positive influence of music activities in community development programs. It examines hybrid music, health and rich media approaches to creative case study with the purpose of developing more compelling evidence based advocacy that examines the claims of a causal link. This preliminary study…

The goal of this exploratory research study was to use the self-directed learning framework in a nonformal learning environment to determine how an underserved community would use technology. The factors that support self-directed learning in a nonformal learning environment were the ability to communicate, access information, and acquire…

The presence of individual and ecological assets for positive development was assessed through data derived from individual interviews with 45 African American adolescent male members of inner-city Detroit gangs and 50 African American adolescent males living in the same communities but involved in community-based organizations (CBOs) aimed at…

Embedded hierarchical relationships between children and adults constrain children's voice. For adults to support children's participation in decisions they need to learn new ways of working; to enable children to communicate their views, develop their ideas, make group decisions and take joint action. This article explores the different roles…

Recent Government policy has advocated universal support services for parents, including a national telephone helpline (for example, Department for Education and Skills, 2003). The Home Office funded just such a helpline--Parentline Plus--as part of the "Supporting Families" initiative. The efficiency and effectiveness of this service in…

This article describes "We the People: Project Citizen Program," a curricular program for middle school students. "We the People" promotes competent and responsible participation in local and state government. Additionally, it helps young people learn how to monitor and influence public policy. Entire classes of students or…