Guidelines and ideas for creating successful school/community projects are provided in this handbook. Organized like a cookbook, the book contains 43 chapters by individual contributors who take a community-based approach to education, in which the schools are the pivotal institutions of a community. The first section outlines the roles, or…

This essay discusses the roots, current shapes, and social and operational implications of mentoring young people in poverty. After an introductory first section on mentoring and the new voluntarism, Section II, "Recurring Fervor," notes recent increased interest in mentoring and traces the early manifestations of mentoring to 19th…

A project identified students gifted and talented in the arts to participate in a Roanoke (Virginia) County Schools program to develop welding, carpentry, masonry, and metal working skills essential in the production of heroic scale three-dimensional art forms. A steering committee identified nine gifted students from four area high schools. The…

This manual offers a means for individuals to engage members of their community or organization in a dialogue on racism and race relations. In particular, it provides basic building blocks for a discussion program on racism and race relations and some suggestions for designing a program pertinent to particular needs of groups or organizations. The…

A survey was conducted of the number and needs of adults with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities (MR/DD) currently waiting for community services. Survey data were obtained for 46 states and the District of Columbia. Respondents included directors of state mental retardation/developmental disabilities programs, state…

Since most black communities in South Africa have been made powerless because of race and poverty, there is a pressing need to empower the individuals of such communities to take charge of their own destinies, especially in the area of early childhood education and care (educare). Current educare projects are often completely or partially…

Family day care is the largest source of nonparental care for young children and often provides the care many families require. In 1991-93, the National Center for Children in Poverty studied 10 local programs that support family day care providers in low-income neighborhoods to increase understanding about family day care and to learn from the…

The report summarizes 27 research studies which examined the attitudes and perspectives of parents of currently or formerly institutionalized people with mental retardation concerning movement from institutional to community placements. Several trends were evident. Parents whose offspring were living in institutions at the time of the survey were…

Based in rural northern Orange County (North Carolina), the Adolescents-in-Need Project began in 1981 as a joint effort of the school district, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and community agencies. Project goals focused on preventing untimely events in the lives of teenagers, and included helping adolescents…

This Tennessee State policy is designed to provide positive learning outcomes for young children and promote parent involvement and the coordination of services for children and families. Introductory material underscores the importance of early learning, summarizes results of preschool intervention programs such as Head Start, and identifies…

This report focuses on the formulation and implementation of family support and education policies in four states, all of which have established programs that provide the core services of parenting education, early childhood development activities, parent support groups, and information about other community agencies. The initiatives are…

This paper draws on the experience of various states in its discussion of questions, issues, and decisions that policymakers face as they plan their states' family support initiatives. The discussion is organized into three parts that correspond roughly with the stages of policy formation, program development, and program implementation and…

Higher education institutions can play a vital role in terms of stabilizing and revitalizing rural communities. Despite cyclical and structural changes in a declining rural economy, many rural residents wish to remain in their communities and maintain rural lifestyles. If rural communities are to survive, new opportunities and new skills must be…

A number of studies have examined variables that discriminate individuals who drop out of mental health programs. However, relatively little attention has been focused on determining characteristics of individuals who fail to follow through after their initial contact with mental health services. This study was designed to provide a profile of…

According to a national survey, about 80% of American Indian and Alaska Native youth have experimented with alcohol or drugs, compared to about 50% of youth nationwide. Particular risk factors for Native youth include low self-esteem, post-traumatic stress, and culture conflict arising from differences between traditional Native values and values…