This paper reports on a portion of a study on community support and respite for families of children with disabilities in New South Wales (Australia). This part of the study focused on identification of factors influencing families when making decisions about caring for their young child at home or seeking an out-of-home placement. The study used…

This publication identifies five levels of gang activity in middle and high schools and presents corresponding strategies for dealing with troublesome situations. The five levels of involvement include: (1) no known gang activity; (2) limited gang activity; (3) emerging gang activity; (4) community in crisis; and (5) gang-controlled community. A…

This guide explains, in simple language, the procedures for utilization of Colorado's developmental disabilities system. It begins with a definition of developmental disability and then explains how to contact a Community Centered Board to determine eligibility for services. The guide outlines the processes of applying for services, receiving…

This study compiled descriptive information about what states are doing or planning to do with early intervention data systems, a component of early intervention systems as specified in Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The study examined the uses of data systems in eight states: Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,…

Shared family care has been defined as the planned provision of out-of-home care to parents and their children so that the parents, supported by the host caregiver, cares for the child and works toward independent in-house care; this approach is an alternative to the trauma of separation and lack of continuity inherent to foster care placement.…

General guidance is offered in the planning and implementation of community-based strategies for the prevention of tobacco use among youth. Ideas and data are organized by means of the Prevention Enhancement Protocols System (PEPS), which is a systematic process for evaluating prevention research and practice evidence, assessing the strength of…

A substantial knowledge base exists on reduction of tobacco use by youth. Effective prevention in this area can have major health and economic benefits. Information from research and prevention practice, organized by means of the Prevention Enhancement Protocols System (PEPS), is provided in the form of guidelines and recommendations for planning…

This report presents the findings of an evaluation of a three-year teacher enhancement project from the Social Science Education Consortium (SSEC). Under this project, middle school teachers were recruited and trained to develop and implement integrated science, social studies, and service-learning units in their classrooms. The project offered…

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute's Nature Educators of the Year program recognizes teachers who have successfully implemented education programs that effectively connect children to nature, and that can be replicated by others. Two awards of $1,000 each were given in 1991. One of the recipients, Steven Prchal, is executive director of Sonoran…

This report provides three case studies illustrating the characteristics and general nature of selected family support programs in socially vulnerable communities. The profile of each program provides in-depth information about how the program operates. Fundamental barriers to program development and service provision are identified, and specific…

This report summarizes the efforts and successes of the Youth as Resources (YAR) initiative, a program that offers youth empowerment and leadership in community service. It utilizes all youth in an effort to address any social or community issue deemed important to a local area and provides opportunities for a wide range of agencies to host or to…

This study was commissioned in order to understand better how partnerships between the community and the schools work. Over 250 partnerships in arts education were convened in six city-wide institutes and three, multi-state, regional institutes to examine what contributes to and what blocks successful community and school partnerships on behalf of…

This report describes a 1988 site visit to Pride Industries, a private, nonprofit agency which operates an apartment program for individuals with developmental disabilities in Bismarck, North Dakota, through a contract with a regional office of North Dakota's Department of Developmental Disabilities. Pride Industries supports 34 people living in…

In 1988 West Virginia University established a task force to evaluate possible strategies for a statewide dropout prevention program. An emerging focus of the task force is the creation of similar task forces at the local level that would make dropout prevention a community responsibility and build community partnerships to provide a comprehensive…

An In-School Student Chamber of Commerce Enhancement Program was established in elementary, middle, and senior high school settings in Dade County, Florida. The student Chamber, modeled after the local Chamber, serves as a role model in the following ways: (1) by guiding students to develop a Chamber; (2) by teaching students about the work world;…