This book is designed to serve as a handbook for early childhood professionals and others interested in improving the quality of early childhood services available to young children and their families. It also serves as a resource for information and tools that can be used to: (1) build a compelling case for improving the quality of early…

This paper describes the first six months of activities and accomplishments of Commonwealth Futures, an initiative designed to provide services to at-risk youth in Massachusetts schools. Major activities are outlined chronologically, implementation problems and successes are briefly discussed, and projected future activities are listed. These…

Lay advisory committees for the humanities offer community colleges a means of maintaining connections with the communities they serve. These groups can provide information and advice on ways to encourage students to enroll in liberal arts courses, the characteristics of liberal arts students, ways of developing modules for occupational courses,…

In 1974, residents of East Humboldt Park, one of the oldest working class communities in Chicago, Illinois, gathered together in a common effort to reverse the process of urban decay and deterioration in their community. With the help of a hired consultant, the citizens planned the future of their community, a process that was completed in 1976,…

Information concerning methods and available materials for conserving energy is needed by small, rural schools to offset continued increasing energy costs and lack of financial support and technical assistance. The first step in developing an energy conservation policy is to obtain school board commitment and to establish an energy saving policy.…

A significant feature of the Bilingual Education Act of 1984 is the high level of involvement of the Hispanic and other language-minority communities in its development. In a very real sense, the legislation is an illustration of grass-roots policy development. Although the actual drafting of legislation was done in Washington, DC. (coordinated…

Citizen involvement in the public decision-making process can be facilitated if appropriate forms and functions of involvement are used. The issue cycle, which can help public officials to ensure that citizens have constructive and timely input into the decision-making process, involves awareness of some condition in the community; community…

"Drugs and AIDS: Getting the Message Out" is an educational film to stimulate ideas and actions that will combat drug abuse and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the local community. Its focus is on how people are taking action in their own communities to reduce the spread of drug abuse and AIDS. This program guide is…

A description of the current status of academic public service in American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) institutions, focusing on those organizational aspects and policy variables that pertain to colleges having a strong public service emphasis is presented. Information is provided on a study undertaken in 1980 of public…

This background briefing paper synthesizes current thinking and practice on the issue of latchkey children and school-age child care (SACC). The paper defines the problem of latchkey children; reviews related literature and programmatic responses to the problem; reports responses of four southern states; and points out implications for policy…

The role of the public has generally been dismissed as a significant factor influencing the process of curriculum formation in large urban school districts. This paper presents an indepth case study focusing on the role of the public in curriculum formation in one school district over a 21-year period during portions of the tenure of 3…

This guide, designed to assist groups interested in participating in the 1981 White House Conference on Aging, describes the community forum as an opportunity for local citizens to hold public discussions on issues of importance to older persons and to the general community. The handbook introduces readers to the Conference, outlines the design of…

The manner in which the United States courts have attempted to establish the validity of remedies and gain public acceptance of court orders in desegregation issues has encouraged public resistance to desegregation laws. In education related matters, the courts usually call on the expertise of lawyers and university professionals who have little…

The global education program of the Stockton (California) Unified School District has evolved from conferences, seminars, and workshops to the Stockton and the World project. The project began in 1971 with the district's participation in the Bay Area Global Education Program (BAGEP) intensive workshop training. Participants then sponsored global…

Community-based organizations (CBOs) are neighborhood-based groups committed to providing human services to poor and minority individuals. The charge that government ineptness generates a need for CBOs is supported by examination of the federal government's operation of the general revenue sharing program. A project set up by CBOs collected data…