Most of our public problems--from crime to racial tensions to substance abuse--directly involve and affect young people. The goal of this guide is to create opportunities for young people and adults to talk candidly about youth issues, develop new ideas, and work together to implement these ideas. It fosters democratic dialogue by advocating the…

The World Conservation Union brings together states, government agencies, and a diverse range of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in a unique world partnership that seeks to influence, encourage, and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature as well as to ensure that any use of natural resources…

The first of the National Education Goals calls for every child to be ready to learn when entering kindergarten. Noting that children are more likely to succeed when schools and families are prepared for each other, this book describes the grassroots efforts of The W.K. Kellogg Foundation School Readiness Initiatives to link families, schools, and…

This handbook is designed to guide readers in developing a local assessment of their community's progress toward achieving the National Education Goals. It is organized around those questions that the National Education Goals Panel has used to measure national and state progress. The introduction includes a history of the National Education Goals…

This report proposes a new framework for understanding the different governance approaches taken by Local School Councils (LSCs) throughout the Chicago Public Schools, based on data collected during the 1991-92 school year. Meeting supervisors covered 155 council meetings at 14 randomly selected, representative schools, and interviewed principals,…

Although rural schools often are the center of community life, ownership of rural education is not necessarily vested in all elements of the community. Without diligent planning, many members of the rural community do not become stockholders in the community's largest enterprise, public education. The program approach to public education has…

The First Impressions initiative was created in 1987 by Governor Roy Romer of Colorado to increase public awareness of the critical importance of the first 5 years of life, assist communities in developing effective programs for young children and their families, and influence early childhood policy and practice. In 1991-92, the priorities of…

This report provides an extensive picture of factors often thought to be associated with promoting good citizenship among youth. In particular, it focuses on the civic development of 9th- through 12th-grade students. Broadly speaking, student characteristics, family influences, the role of schools, media factors, and the possible benefits of…

Ten recommendations are discussed for implementing comprehensive arts education and integrated arts-in-education programs in Connecticut's public schools. The recommendations are as follows: (1) Connecticut students should receive arts instruction that ensures an understanding in all of the arts; (2) Connecticut school districts should provide…

School-based management and teacher empowerment are consistent elements of school restructuring efforts nationwide. These developments have grown out of frustration over the failure of centralized efforts to significantly improve schools and increase support for individual empowerment. Teacher empowerment is based on four assumptions: (1)…

Noting that the skills of community-building are some of the same skills needed to help families, this newsletter issue focuses on enhancing the resources and leadership in the community as the best way to provide support for families. The articles in the newsletter include: (1) "Building on the Strengths of Communities"; (2)…

An evaluation was done to assess the participation of students from the 70 Creating a New Approach to Learning Project (Project CANAL) schools in training activities organized by Project CANAL. Two activities were included. The first, titled "student Workshops," consisted of a series of five 1-day workshops that sought to provide…

Developed for program facilitators in rural communities, Leadership Enhancement for the Active Retired (LEAR) is a training model that builds on the leadership skills and expertise of people who are retired from full-time employment, but are still willing to share their time and talent to benefit their community. Although other formats for the…

During five meetings conducted in different states by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) to gain insight into the status of 55 parent involvement programs from their organizers and implementors, parental involvement in the secondary education level repeatedly emerged as a shared concern. Following the meetings SEDL…

The aim of this document is to give teachers in Tasmania an understanding of the importance and usefulness of the environment as a learning resource both as an immediate stimulus for learning and for the long term process of forming sound community values. The document provides schools with a basis for the development of environmental resources…