Based on the assumption that the vocational curriculum for severely handicapped persons relies on the demands and opportunities of employment settings in the community, a vocational habilitation approach involving analysis of labor needs, job requirements, and client assessment and training is described. (CL)

Uses case study approach to report on one community's efforts to facilitate Vietnamese refugee family's adaptation to life in the United States, identify issues that may have contributed to adjustment difficulties that continued for two young adults from the family, and suggests alternative ways to have approached these issues. (NB)

Recounts how one community's response to tragedy illustrates that a community-based system of care can meet the needs of individuals, families, and organizations in culturally competent ways. Examines how the implemented program successfully meets the community's needs for coordinated children's mental health services on the community's terms.…

To position libraries and librarians as leaders within communities and states, the Internet should be a priority item on their agendas. This article argues that state libraries must provide leadership, promote collaboration between government agencies and libraries, and provide empowerment for local libraries or risk ending up "road kill" on the…

Suggests that narrative structure should be taught as a reminder that human life is interwoven with stories. Suggests educators teach students the power of narrative and its relationship to its audience and the context in which the story is told. Compares the OJ Simpson story with a famous Norwegian folktale to illustrate the role narrative plays…

Principles for participatory community development are as follows: humility and respect; power of local knowledge; democratic practice; diverse ways of knowing; sustainability; reality before theory; uncertainty; relativity of time and efficiency; holistic approach; and decisions rooted in the community. (SK)

Three commonly mentioned aspects of the idea of spirituality are transcendence, raised awareness and spiritualism. The interrelationships among these three "strands" of spirituality are explored. It is argued that each strand expresses itself along a continuum, ranging from the mundane to the profound. The second part of the article focuses on the…

Today's society is global, multicultural, multilingual, and digitally connected. Learning no longer occurs just in the classroom, delivered by teachers. At the same time, research has repeatedly shown that no single strategy or approach will turn around low-performing schools and reengage students. As a result, districts and schools are reaching…

This report examined the impact of a four-year public college, West Virginia State College, on the local community and graduates. It discusses the economic benefits of a college degree in regard to the individual graduate and the society as a whole, noting that college graduates have significantly higher lifetime earnings than individuals with…

In a national sample of school districts, it was found that civil rights activity and white community concern increases school-governor sensitivity to racial problems and the likelihood of corrective action. (Author/KM)

The report describes the distinctive characteristics and styles of seven community residences for retarded children or adults and provides a comparative analysis with emphasis on common themes of successful group homes. The homes are compared in terms of original initiation of the residence; the development of the residence; operations (such as…

AN OVERVIEW OF EXISTING APPROACHES TO THE PREVENTION OF MENTAL DISORDER IS PROVIDED. THE CHILD-CENTERED PROGRAMS DISCUSSED HERE INCLUDE THOSE--(1) WHICH REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF PRE-NATAL AND PERINATAL CASUALTY, (2) WHICH TREAT CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL DEFECTS, (3) WHICH ARE ORIENTED TOWARD THE CHILD-PARENT RELATIONSHIP, (4) WHICH ARE ORIENTED TOWARD…

Described is Ohio's use of community volunteers in the education of behaviorally disordered children and suggested are guidelines for the organization and development of similar programs. Advantages of such an approach are seen to include adaptability and lack of expense. Elements (including volunteer recruitment and child selection) of the Ohio…