Seven case studies illustrate how rural people and communities have resisted the arbitrary limits of public policy. In contrast to one-size-fits-all education policy, a history teacher in rural southern Texas motivated his Mexican American high school students to collect oral histories in their community, develop them into a curriculum, and teach…

The Annenberg Rural Challenge represents a large national effort to transform rural schools and communities. Among its dominant themes are that students should come to know their local communities well, that communities should see schools and students as critical assets, and that communities and schools need to become more integrated. As part of a…

This document compiles a series of articles from the Center for Rural Affairs monthly newsletter, January-August 1999. The series responds to public statements of some legislators, urban school board members, and others about the need to eliminate small rural schools because of their "inefficiency." Seven short articles discuss various aspects and…

The product of faculty, staff, and students from 10 exemplary programs in service learning at selected liberal arts colleges across the country, this collection of essays addresses vital issues in liberal learning and education for community. The collection's focus is the creation of educational goals and strategies for developing a service…

This paper uses an evaluation of the School Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP), a school-linked, service-integration program in New Jersey, to explore how school-community collaborations can achieve both educational and social, emotional and behavioral outcomes. The paper provides background information on SBYSP and then presents organizational…

This keynote address discusses the implications of the university continuing education community. The paper asserts that while the boundaries of higher education have blurred in terms of physical buildings; the characteristics of students interested in higher education; the curricular offerings of high schools, community colleges, and…

This report presents the conclusions and recommendations of the Indian Valley campus (California) community task force to the Marin Community College District trustees. The trustees appointed the Indian Valley campus task force in 2000 to study options for the educational vitality, fiscal sustainability, and community benefit of the campus. This…

This book examines civic capacity and urban education politics in 11 large cities, highlighting change at the citywide level. Chapter 1, "The Scope of the Problem," introduces the subject. Chapter 2, "The Challenge of Change in Complex Policy Subsystems," suggests that education may be a "high-reverberation" policy…

This document presents different strategies and approaches for members of school communities to consider when creating safer learning environments. It contains the distilled collective experience and wisdom of over 500 people. Guidance for school violence prevention and response is offered in the following areas: ways to prevent student violence,…

A March 2000 education summit brought together educators, parents, and community leaders to discuss key issues in the education of American Indian and Alaska Native students who attend school in urban areas. This summary report provides an overview of the main points discussed in a keynote address and four panel discussions. The keynote address by…

This work provides school change leaders with tools, techniques, tips, examples, illustrations, and stories about promoting school change. Tools provided include histograms, surveys, run charts, weighted voting, force-field analysis, decision matrices, and many others. Chapter 1, "Introduction," applies a matrix for asking questions…

The third-year implementation of Graduation 2010, a districtwide public-school initiative, had its beginnings in brain-based research and involvement from both school and community. The original plan for the program had eight strands: Arts, Music, Foreign Language, Reading/Language Development, Thinking Skills, Health/Emotional Health, Family…

Educational Research Information Center (ERIC) Trends are analyses of higher education literature contained in the ERIC database, describing major concerns in institutional practice. Perhaps no other trend has grown as rapidly as the literature on external constituencies, outreach, and public relations. This increase makes it clear that higher…

This document is the result of a six-month process of obtaining input from a variety of community college stakeholders in North Carolina to help determine a direction for the state's 59 community colleges. Several hundred people were involved in developing these strategic initiatives, goals, and objectives. There are two main sections in the…

Historically, participation in school affairs gave rural people a working knowledge of how democracy functioned. In the late 19th century, power shifted from the voice of the many to the voice of a few, as "expert" opinion increasingly influenced state legislators, governors, and national political leaders. The push to consolidate…