A program in which 12 seventh- and eighth-grade students with learning disabilities and/or culturally diverse backgrounds participated with nondisabled peers in service learning is described. The students improved their social skills and self-esteem through community service with younger students and senior citizens. The article offers a rationale…

A teacher of fifth to seventh graders with learning disabilities describes a community-based gardening project which served elderly residents of a rest home while exposing the children to elderly people and encouraging development and application of environmental, writing, mathematics, and communication skills. The project integrated curriculum in…

Proposes a risk/protective theoretical perspective grounded in ecological and developmental contextualist theories. Principles extrapolated from the theory are illustrated with the success of Wisconsin Youth Futures, a campus/community partnership that has built 18 community coalitions to promote positive youth development and prevent behavior…

Describes the educator externship program in the college of education at the University of Nevada, Reno, which provides opportunities for educators to work in a business setting in their own communities. Discusses reasons educators gave for participating, and shows how educators planned to apply in their classrooms the concepts learned through the…

This article discusses the history of integrating services for students with disabilities and modern service integration initiatives. Examples of requirements for service integration are listed and interprofessional collaboration is described. The complexity, difficulties, and opportunities associated with school-related integration and…

Based on interviews with eight administrators, teachers, parents, and community volunteers, this article reports the challenges and progress of two urban middle schools in developing comprehensive, permanent school, family, and community partnerships through the National Network of Partnership Schools. Partnership activities and their effects on…

Describes a partnership between a middle school and a community-based retirement center in which middle school students taught senior citizens computer skills. Discusses the pedagogical value of the program in creating learning activities that students found functional. (JPB)

Describes various collaborative programs between community arts organizations and schools that provide long-range talent development. Considers the aspects of identifying artistic talent within the arts. Addresses artistic underpinnings, perceptual discrimination, metaperception, creative interpretation, student commitment, the procedures, the…

Tennessee's Three-Star Program for Community Economic Preparedness helps rural communities sell themselves as desirable locations for industry. The program emphasizes community planning and improved quality of life; features include adult leadership programs, community action projects, after-school and extracurricular programs for children and…

Discusses the emphasis on promoting policy and practice changes based on research evidence in projects (funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation) related to housing, social policy, social care, youth, and families. Discusses the difficulties in using random control trials for assessing the effectiveness of interventions with individuals. Concludes…

Provides an overview of the independent-living movement, describes the structure and scope of services of Centers for Independent Living (CIL), discusses the definition of CILs in federal legislation, and explores the potential role of CILs in the provision of transition services for youth and young adults. (CR)

This article explains the use of a community mapping methodology to identify natural learning environments and inclusion opportunities for young children with disabilities. Four steps are discussed: (1) selecting kinds of learning opportunities for mapping; (2) gathering information about community learning sources; (3) developing an informational…

Third-grade students at Albion Public School (Albion, Nebraska) were linked with "special friends"--elderly residents at a local home. Students learned first-hand about the lives of the elderly, worked on related projects in school, shared activities with their new friends, and formed some very special relationships. (SV)

The ineffectiveness of community-based interventions can often be traced to problems that occur during implementation. In this study, we outline the implementation of a human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevention program in an educational setting in South Africa. An action research approach was used in the…

This single case study, situated within a larger narrative inquiry project, closely examines the professional stories told by one Project Grow teacher. Project Grow is a 10-year-old collaborative interdisciplinary environmental education project at a New York City alternative public high school. Through the practice of an innovative …