The Central Park Project, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, illustrates the importance of participation in the design process and the impact of school sites on children as well as on the surrounding neighborhood. (Author/MLF)

Proposition 13 and other legislation have adversely affected finances available for school planning. Suggested solutions included early involvement of development teams with community and district planning staffs and the use of advisory committees and professional private-sector research consulting firms. (MLF)

The Judicial Evaluation Method (JEM) is useful for aiding decision-making bodies to formulate policies. Broad public participation in complex issues is provided by JEM. (The conceptualization, policy formulation stages, and participant roles are identified; and the model is applied in two case studies). (MH)

The author describes a successful attempt to get community involvement and support through a school improvement effort. (KC)

Discusses the introduction of a sex education pilot program and its subsequent development in District 31 schools in Staten Island, New York, in 1967. (Author/RK)

Nine crucial issues in secondary education are identified: (1) self-actualization skills, (2) humane values, (3) social survival skills, (4) transfer of social heritage, (5) utilization of total environment, (6) program content, (7) organizational renewal, (8) optimum resource usage, (9) societal participation in educational improvement. (MB)

Discusses methodology and results of a study of participatory educational planning. Objectives were to (1) understand the social and attitudinal forces that drive people to join educational policy-making groups, and (2) assess effect of organizational factors pertinent to the particular policy-level activity upon the intensity and quality of…

Describes an adult education course designed to stimulate public awareness in planning matters, and compares the course with another differently planned program with the same purpose. Notes that given the concentration of resources and cooperation between adult education and community development agencies, interest in planning issues can be…

Describes the widespread parental involvement in Catholic schools, such as in parent-teacher organizations. Discusses the importance of these organizations in creating a sense of community. Describes how the development of adult religious education classes and the collaboration between parent organizations can create a sense of unity among parents…

Advocates student learning portfolios as an effective assessment technique. Explains how to devise a process that involves community expert partners in judging a student portfolio contest in technical writing. Discusses how to sustain community involvement in program assessment and describes how portfolio assessment led to the creation of a…

Alexandria (Virginia) Community Network Preschools is a private, nonprofit preschool system that serves over 125 low-income children and their families. Network Preschools follow the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation's principles for a superior early-childhood curriculum. The four schools use developmentally appropriate practices, enable…

Examines the scope of volunteer efforts in Coldwater, Ohio, a small rural community of approximately 4,400 people. Describes how diverse volunteer organizations developed to address community needs and their impact on community improvement, local activities, and area schools. (LP)

Discusses that the best way to lower HIV transmission is to focus on educating tribal members about how HIV is transmitted and how it can be avoided. Points out that tribal colleges and universities have the connections needed to build effective outreach programs. Discusses how Si Tanka University at South Dakota addressed the challenge of AIDS…

Reviews the current theoretical and empirical literature on community involvement in schools, describing different rationales for community involvement. Discusses four major forms of school-community partnerships (business, university, service learning, and school-linked service integration) and factors influencing their implementation and…