A personal transformation group therapy program was designed to help Saudi women function more effectively in their daily lives. The major cognitive idea of these groups was to enable women to better understand their thinking patterns so that they could learn techniques to change. Personal transformation group topics included: Self-Esteem;…

Growing evidence indicates that teen courts give a community's children and adults a practical response to the problems associated with delinquency, traffic safety, and substance abuse. Developing and implementing teen courts requires a collaborative effort and juvenile justice agencies need baseline information that will aid them in creating teen…

Conventional anti-poverty efforts have failed because they have not created the structures for the poor to help themselves, and they are designed and controlled by people outside of the affected communities. Introduced in 1968 by the National Association of the Southern Poor, the Assembly is a non-political structure that organizes community…

By joining bodies of research in media theory, cultural studies, and critical pedagogy, this book offers a vision of learning that values social empowerment over technical skills. An inquiry into the existence and range of models equipped to cultivate critical teaching and learning in the Internet-supported classroom, the book argues that media…

Pennsylvania's Philadelphia School District implemented an action plan that mandated establishment of small learning communities (SLCs) in all schools. SLCs were intended to increase teacher professionalism and effectiveness by bringing decision making power to the local level. This paper examines how two elementary schools' SLCs implemented…

This action research explored the relationship between community and learning. The essence of community was examined through informal conversations with Hawaiian parents, service providers, and students involved in advocating for family/community centers in the schools. Community was found to be inversely related to alienation and defined by…

This booklet attempts to illustrate how students and graduates who are deaf or who have hearing impairments incorporate emerging technology into their lives to make a difference in their communities. Although the students' missions vary, technology is clearly a valuable and dynamic part of many of these students' lives. The text begins with the…

This book offers suggestions on how to guide children to develop a healthy respect for their bodies and brains in order to avoid the lure of drugs. The information provided is designed to enable parents and teachers to speak knowledgeably and effectively about drugs with their children and students. The first chapter focuses on how to communicate…

Based on the view that the first weeks of school lay the foundation for the remainder of the year, this book uses an ethnographic approach to present the story of one teacher and the classroom she constructed during the first weeks of school. The book's introduction explores beliefs about children and teaching and a view of theory and practice…

This book examines new learning and telecommunications technologies and their potential applications to enrich the learning process, to ensure educational equality for all students and to help cultivate the "Educated Person," one who is capable of maintaining a high quality of life, and of contributing to the betterment of the community…

In spite of an increased effort to boost Latino parental participation in their children's education, barriers exist which inhibit them from forming partnerships with the schools. This paper describes the Mid-Atlantic Center, which provides technical assistance in areas of race, national origin, and gender to 6 states and 732 school districts in…

Offers experience-based insights on building relationships of trust and respect with hard-to-reach youth. Describes a program, designed for 12- to 14-year olds on juvenile probation, which emphasizes love and respect. Argues for the futility of fixating on problem behaviors and the importance of providing youth a challenging and fun environment.…

Describes a community service-learning seminar for college freshmen, focusing on education for empowerment. Notes an inherent dichotomy: students need to learn specific, empowering ways to interact with community members even while confronting uncomfortable issues but remain empowered themselves by how the service-learning course is designed and…

Calls for greater attention to pedagogical challenges and opportunities to integrate service-learning and academic study, particularly in maintaining both content coverage and empowerment as objectives. Draws on transcripts of class discussions and student writing in a community service learning course focusing on literacy to trace students'…

Describes effective aspects of a 4-day inservice teacher education program offered in the context of Britain's Brunel Able Children's Education center. Discusses the nature of higher ability in children, identification of ability, classroom strategies, and the role of questioning. Describes a learning project based on word explorations to…